Bandikyan and Garibyan Feature in the Second Round of the Russian Cup

Two Armenia national team players — Artem Bandikyan and Artur Garibyan — took to the pitch in the second round of the Russian Cup group stage.

20-year-old defender Artem Bandikyan made his first appearance for CSKA’s senior team. He started the match against Akron and spent 67 minutes on the pitch, playing at right-back.

CSKA suffered a 1–0 defeat despite having a numerical advantage from the 57th minute.

Artur Garibyan featured in Rodina’s match against Orenburg. The 20-year-old forward came on in the 60th minute. His team played almost the entire match with ten men following a red card in the sixth minute and eventually lost 4–1.

Garibyan’s appearance from the bench in the cup match can be seen as further evidence of his important role in the team. With the squad being rotated in the Russian Cup, the coaching staff had an opportunity to distribute the workload among the regular first-team players. Garibyan has already registered 3 goals and 2 assists this season.