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    Cymru vs. Armenia | 2024 European Championship – Qualifying Round – Grp D

    Live

        Live ReportMatch Summary

        1. 16 June, 2023 11:03 pm

          Speaking to BBC Radio Wales, Aaron Ramsey said: “It wasn’t good enough. We were a bit naive. I can’t remember the last time we conceded four goals at home and we can only apologise to the fans who turned up tonight.

          “We knew they would be aggressive at the front five. We had worked on how to beat the press.

          “We created opportunities to score but we conceded too many goals, which were all very similar goals, we were just too open.

          “It definitely doesn’t help qualification because you have to win your home games.

          “We have to dust ourselves down. There are things we have to do better before we go to Turkey.

          “There are still a few games to go but this one is going to hurt. We have to try and put things right and get a win on Monday.”

        2. 16 June, 2023 10:17 pm

          It was fantastic to see David Brooks back in a Cymru shirt.

        3. 16 June, 2023 10:09 pm

          Full-time Summary

          • Cymru shocked in Cardiff
          • Armenia get their first win of the campaign
          • Kieffer Moore is sent off
          • David Brooks returns

          This was an action packed game but one that ended in disappointment for Cymru. Following some early promise after Dan James’ 10th minute opener, The Red Wall were expectant of all three points.

          Despite the positive start the lead lasted 9 minutes as Lucas Zelarayán stunned the crowd to level for Armenia. Before the first half was out, Grant-Leon Ranos gave the visitors the lead.

          Cymru created plenty of chances to get back into this game and take control of it, however, they always looked vulnerable when Armenia were on the attack.

          This vulnerability was apparent as Ranos scored his second and Armenia’s third as the game started to look beyond Rob Page’s team.

          There was a brief glimmer of hope as Harry Wilson scored on 72 minutes but this was soon subdued when Zelarayán made it 4-2.

          It got even worse for Cymru after Kieffer Moore saw red following an altercation with Armenia’s goalkeeper, Ognjen Chancharevich. As a result, Moore will miss Cymru’s next match against Türkiye on Monday.

          One positive for Cymru fans to take from the game tonight was the return of David Brooks following a lengthy spell battling illness.

        4. Full-time

          Cymru didn’t see that one coming. Armenia produce a shock in Cardiff and take all three points.

        5. 90' + 6'

          Yellow card

          NORBERTO BRIASCO

        6. 90'

          There will be 7 minutes of added time.

        7. 88'

          Substitution

          ARTUR SEROBYAN replaces GRANT-LEON RANOS

        8. 85'

          Yellow card

          WILLIAMS Neco

        9. 84'

          Yellow card

          STYOPA MKRTCHYAN

        10. 82'

          Substitution

          BRADSHAW Thomas William replaces WILSON Harry

        11. 82'

          Substitution

          BROADHEAD Nathan Paul replaces JAMES Daniel Owen

        12. 78'

          Yellow card

          OGNJEN CHANCHAREVICH

        13. 78'

          Red card

          MOORE Kieffer Roberto Francisco

        14. 75'

          Goal

          LUCAS ZELARAYÁN

        15. 75'

          Substitution

          NORBERTO BRIASCO replaces LUCAS ZELARAYÁN

        16. 72'

          Goal

          WILSON Harry

        17. 70'

          Yellow card

          MEPHAM Christopher

        18. 70'

          Yellow card

          NAIR TIKNIZYAN

        19. 70'

          Substitution

          BROOKS David replaces JOHNSON Brennan

        20. 67'

          Yellow card

          GRANT-LEON RANOS

        21. 67'

          Substitution

          MORRELL Joseff replaces RAMSEY Aaron

        22. 67'

          Substitution

          WILLIAMS Neco replaces RODON Joseph

        23. 66'

          Goal

          GRANT-LEON RANOS

        24. 62'

          Substitution

          VAHAN BICHAKHCHYAN replaces TIGRAN BARSEGHYAN

        25. 62'

          Substitution

          VARAZDAT HAROYAN replaces ANDRE CALISIR

        26. 53'

          Cymru are continuing to create chances here but with some luck, grit and determination, Armenia are keeping them out.

        27. 46'

          We’re back underway at Cardiff City Stadium where Cymru need to make the chances they’re creating count to overcome this 1-2 deficit.

        29. A big second half for Cymru coming up.

        30. Half-time

          That’s the end of the first half as Armenia take a 2-1 lead into the break.

        31. 📷 Ramos celebrates in front of disappointed Cymru fans after giving Armenia a shock lead in Cardiff.

        32. 📷 Dan James celebrates scoring the opening goal of the match.

        33. 30'

          Goal

          GRANT-LEON RANOS

        34. 19'

          Goal

          LUCAS ZELARAYÁN

        35. 10'

          Goal

          JAMES Daniel Owen

        36. 10'

          GÔÔÔÔÔÔÔÔÔÔÔÔLLLLL!!!!
          Dan James scores for Cymru!!!

        37. 9'

          Brennan Johnson steals possession of the Armenia defence and crosses for Kieffer Moore. The Cymru striker connects but heads just wide.

        38. 1'

          The match is underway!

        39. 16 June, 2023 7:29 pm

          In tonight’s other Group D match, Latvia welcome Türkiye to Riga. Here are the group standings ahead of this evening’s fixtures.

        40. 16 June, 2023 7:21 pm

          Rambo, give us a wave! 👋

        41. 16 June, 2023 7:16 pm

          Thumbs up from Dan James 👍

        42. 16 June, 2023 7:15 pm

          The stands are filling up for this crucial UEFA European Qualifiers match for EURO 2024. This match sold out well ahead of the game and The Red Wall are expected to be in full voice tonight.

        43. 16 June, 2023 6:39 pm

          Aaron Ramsey will wear a rainbow captain’s armband this evening in celebration of Pride Cymru, which takes place across the weekend.

        44. 16 June, 2023 6:33 pm

          Time to make some memories.

        45. 16 June, 2023 6:31 pm

          Here’s the Cymru XI for the qualifier against Armenia here at Cardiff City Stadium. Ben Davies returns to the team after missing the opening qualifying matches against Croatia and Latvia.

        47. 16 June, 2023 5:15 pm

          A new pitch has been laid at Cardiff City Stadium over the summer and Cymru will be the first to test it out. Check out @Cymru on Twitter to see a time-lapse video of the fantastic work.

        48. 16 June, 2023 5:02 pm

          The Cymru team have been out for a stroll ahead of the European Qualifier against Armenia in Cardiff tonight.

        49. 16 June, 2023 8:51 am

        50. 16 June, 2023 8:39 am

        51. 16 June, 2023 8:38 am

          Georgi Kabakov will take charge of the EURO 2024 qualifier between Cymru and Armenia at the Cardiff City Stadium this evening. The 37-year old Bulgarian has been a FIFA referee since 2013 and has regularly officiated in the UEFA Champions League and Europa League.

          In July 2017, Kabakov was the referee for the UEFA Champions League 2nd qualifying round, 2nd leg match between JD Cymru Premier champions The New Saints and Croatian side Rijeka at Park Hall, Oswestry.

          Kabakov will be assisted by Martin Margaritov and Diyan Valk while Radoslav Gidzhenov is the fourth official. Dragomir Draganov is the VAR and he will be assisted by Ivaylo Stoyanov. All of the officials are from Bulgaria.

        52. 16 June, 2023 8:26 am

        54. 15 June, 2023 6:24 pm

          Cymru captain Aaron Ramsey also spoke to the media from the team base this afternoon ahead of the EURO 2024 qualifying double-header against Armenia and Türkiye.

          “We got off to a fantastic start after a difficult World Cup,” said Ramsey. “That point away to Croatia sets us up quite nicely. These next two games are so, so important to us. It’s still very early days, and in football things can change quickly. We have to stay mentally right. It’s all on us and what we want to do. We will have our fans behind us and a game plan for what we want to do.

          “I think that’s important that we’re all on the same page. The whole team has a responsibility to get the most out of each other, it’s a group effort. I feel good, I feel physically ready. We’ve put ourselves in a position now to qualify for major tournaments. These games are never easy, these teams are streetwise and know how to defend. We have to be patient and stick to the game plan.”

        55. 15 June, 2023 6:19 pm

        57. 15 June, 2023 5:10 pm

          Cymru manager Rob Page spoke to the media earlier this afternoon as his side prepare to take on Armenia in Cardiff tomorrow night. “I think it was the right thing to do to get the players in the right place physically and mentally,” said Page when asked about the recent Portugal training camp.

          “We have a fully-fit squad and they’re raring to go. We’ve got great options on the bench, we’ve not just got a good core of players, but great strength-in-depth as well. We’ve got the disappointment of the World Cup out of our system now. If we give the level of performance I know we’re capable of, we will be a match for anybody. It’s about us having a ruthless mentality.

          “We want to win every game we go into, and we want to get six points from these two games. Our aim is to be top of the group. Our supporters expect us to do well. It’s a mindset change for us now and we have a belief that we will qualify. We’ve shown in March that we are progressing nicely now.”

        58. 15 June, 2023 9:10 am

        59. 15 June, 2023 9:09 am

        60. 15 June, 2023 9:08 am

          David Brooks (below) was on media duty yesterday and spoke about his return to the Cymru squad after two-years following his cancer diagnosis in October 2021.

          “The moment I found out was incredibly tough but the prognosis was a positive one and, when I found that out, there was always an upside to look at and aim for. There were dark times but I had people around me to help me through that and come out on the other side.

          “It’s a very nice feeling, my first camp in two years, so it will be a very special moment putting the Welsh shirt on again. I’d been a few times to see the lads and the coaching staff when I was ill. It didn’t have the same feeling about it. Football aside, it was just nice to get back with the lads and feel part of it.

          “That was the first step after the treatment, to get back into the Bournemouth dressing room and be part of that. As soon as that was completed, to get back in the Wales set-up as well was the aim. There was plenty to catch up on after two years apart but they’ve welcomed me with open arms.”

        63. 14 June, 2023 5:39 pm

          Cymru fans may recognise Armenia manager Oleksandr Petrakov (below) as he was in charge of Ukraine for the World Cup Play-Off Final in Cardiff just over one year ago. A former defender who came through the youth ranks of Dynamo Kyiv, Petrakov would continue his playing career in the lower leagues of the Soviet Union, Hungary and in his native Ukraine between 1976 and 1991 when he began coaching at amateur side Budivelnyk Ivankiv.

          He returned to Dynamo Kyiv to run the club’s academy between 2002 and 2005, but has spent the last decade of his coaching career with the Ukraine intermediate teams, eventually replacing the legendary Andriy Shevchenko as the manager of the national team in the summer of 2021 during the World Cup qualifying campaign. Following the World Cup disappointment, the 65-year old left his position in January and took charge of Armenia two days later.

        65. 14 June, 2023 5:08 pm

        66. 14 June, 2023 12:05 pm

        67. 14 June, 2023 8:47 am

          Cymru manager Rob Page has called for his side to offer more in the final third ahead of the match against Armenia on Friday and build on their positive start to EURO 2024 qualifying. “You are always going to miss your best players, but we had to ask others to step up to the plate and the two performances against Croatia and Latvia were outstanding,” said Page.

          “To finish off the Latvia game with the highest percentage possession we’ve had in the last five years shows we’ve got rid of the disappointment of the World Cup. The players are embracing what we’re asking them to do moving forward and it suits the players. They also enjoy playing that way.”

          “While I was happy with the Latvia performance and how we controlled the game, that final detail at the top of the pitch is where we need to improve. With the personnel we’ve got, we can have two or three different formations without any problem. We’ve got some good players and the problem now is finding out how to get them all into the same team.”

        69. 13 June, 2023 6:41 pm

          Armenia are still searching for their first appearance at the finals of a major tournament, but their progress in recent years has seen them enjoy two consecutive promotions in the UEFA Nations League before slipping back down to League C in the last campaign. Now managed by former Ukraine coach Oleksandr Petrakov (below), who was in charge of his home country for the 1-0 defeat to Cymru in the FIFA World Cup play-off final last year, Armenia opened the group with a narrow 2-1 defeat at home to Türkiye after taking an early lead. Petrakov took charge of Armenia in January this year.

        70. 13 June, 2023 6:30 pm

        72. 13 June, 2023 6:24 pm

          There have only been two previous meetings between Cymru and Armenia, with both games in 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifying ending in draws. The first match between the two nations took place in Yerevan in March 2001 when two goals from John Hartson for Mark Hughes’ side could only earn a point in a 2-2 draw. The return match in Cardiff finished in a 0-0 draw in a campaign that saw Cymru claim just one victory in ten games and only finish above Armenia at the bottom of the group.

        74. 13 June, 2023 1:51 pm

          Cymru captain Aaron Ramsey spoke to the media yesterday and reflected on the opening two games of the group when a late equaliser from Nathan Broadhead earned his side a valuable point in Croatia before Kieffer Moore scored the only goal of the game against Latvia. “After a difficult World Cup, to come back and get a point against that quality opposition was massive for us,” said Ramsey.

          “It’s not easy to go and play away first then come home when there’s an expectation to have a comfortable game [against Latvia]. I thought we managed the game really well – we dominated possession but just needed to be a bit more clinical in front of goal. That would take our game to the next level, so hopefully we can put that into practice on Friday.”

        76. 13 June, 2023 1:43 pm

          Rob Page’s Cymru squad continue their preparations in Lagos, Portugal this week ahead of Friday’s EURO 2024 qualifier against Armenia at the Cardiff City Stadium. Currently undefeated in Group D following an impressive 1-1 draw away to Croatia and a 1-0 home win over Latvia in March, Page will be confident on his side building on their positive start to the campaign before heading to Türkiye on Monday.

        77. There is no live report available for this match

        Lineups

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                Match Info

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                Date & Time

                Referee

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