The Armenian national team captain talks about Portugal, Ronaldo, and the upcoming match against Hungary.

The captain of the Armenian national team and midfielder of Bratislava’s Slovan, Tigran Barseghyan, in an interview with the Hungarian outlet Nemzeti Sport, shared his expectations for the upcoming World Cup qualifying match against Hungary, and spoke about his meeting with Cristiano Ronaldo and the victory over Ireland.

Barseghyan noted that the 0–5 defeat against Portugal was an important lesson for the Armenian team:

“We knew who we were playing against — some of the best footballers in the world. The Portuguese are the reigning Nations League champions. But that loss was a warning for us: the Hungarians lost to them at home by only one goal, which says a lot about Marco Rossi’s team’s strength,” said the captain of the Armenian national team.

The player also recalled a funny episode with Cristiano Ronaldo:

“In the second half, he asked me why we were defending so deep and not trying to score. I replied, ‘If only it were that easy!’ Then he joked that he would score one first, and then it would be my turn. And indeed, half a minute later, he scored and gestured that now it was my turn,” Barseghyan recounted.

The Armenian captain emphasized that the team won against Ireland (2–1) with great passion:

“We hadn’t won at home for more than a year, so we played with heart and soul. The fans helped us a lot — the stadium was full, just like it is for the Hungarians,” he noted.

Speaking about the upcoming match in Budapest, Barseghyan admitted that Hungary is the favorite:

“The Hungarians have a great team; many of them play in top clubs, and they’ll have 60,000 fans behind them. But the match starts at 0–0, and we won’t walk onto the pitch with raised hands. We’ll fight until the end,” the Armenian captain emphasized.

Barseghyan also added that the battle for second place in the group might be decided after the next few rounds:

“The fate of the group may be determined in the matches in Budapest and Dublin. After them, it will be clear who remains in the fight for the playoffs,” he concluded.

The Hungary – Armenia match will take place on October 11 at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest.