Armenia traditionally performs better in second matches: let's see if the trend continues in Dublin

Ahead of the Ireland vs Armenia match, which will take place on October 14 in Dublin as part of the 4th round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, the Irish press has noted an interesting detail. Journalists and Ireland’s head coach pointed out that their team often performs worse in the second match of an international window.

Hallgrímsson admitted that this trend is worrying:
“Yes, it’s true — we often play worse in the second match. We’re trying to change that: monitoring workloads, recovering players faster, rotating the squad, and of course working on the mental side — it’s important to switch focus quickly and be ready for the next game,” he explained.

For Armenia, the situation is the opposite — the second game is usually better than the first. Even after defeats, Yeghishe Melikyan’s team often shows character and manages to achieve positive results.

This can be explained by the fact that the Armenian national team does not rely on high pace and physical pressure — their playing style is more balanced and depends largely on concentration and mindset. Therefore, fatigue has less of an impact on the quality of play compared to Ireland, whose football philosophy is built around physical strength.

Statistics confirm the trend:

• September 2025: loss to Portugal (0:5) → win over Ireland (2:1)

• June 2025: loss to Kosovo (2:5) → draw with Montenegro (2:2)

• February 2024: losses to Kosovo (0:1) and Czech Republic (1:2), but with noticeably improved performance

• June 2024: loss to Slovenia (1:2) → win over Kazakhstan (2:1)

• November 2024: loss to Faroe Islands (0:1) → win over Latvia (2:1)

Before the October match in Dublin, Armenia lost to Hungary (0:2), while Ireland fell to Portugal (0:1), conceding the decisive goal in the 90th minute.

Today, Yeghishe Melikyan’s team has a chance to confirm their usual pattern once again — to show character and improve their result in the second match of the international break.