Armenian champions FC Ararat-Armenia have qualified for the league phase of the UEFA Europa League, becoming the first Armenian club to reach the main stage of a European competition, reports Zartonk Sports. They beat Romania’s Universitatea Craiova 1:0 in Yerevan on Thursday to go through 2:1 on aggregate.
Ararat won a penalty in the second minute of stoppage time, with the tie level and extra time looming. Sandro Lima stepped up, but Craiova goalkeeper Lauren?iu Popescu saved it. A video review ordered the kick retaken because a defender had entered the box too early. Popescu saved the second attempt as well, but the rebound fell to Lima, who buried it to send the Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium into celebration.
The first leg in Romania had finished 1:1, with Alexandros Malis putting Ararat ahead before Nicu?or Bancu equalized for Craiova. Lima’s stoppage-time goal in the return leg settled the tie across the two matches.
Ararat-Armenia went into the second leg already assured of European football this fall, holding a guaranteed place in the Conference League league phase. Beating Craiova upgraded them to the Europa League, UEFA’s second-tier competition, and made them the first Armenian club to reach the main stage of any European tournament.
Their run to this point began in the Champions League, where they eliminated Latvia’s Riga FC and Ireland’s Shamrock Rovers before losing to Slovenia’s Celje and dropping into the Europa League play-off. Lima scored decisive goals in both of those earlier ties, and again in the stoppage-time win over Craiova.
The draw for the Europa League league phase takes place on Friday, August 28.
