Head coach of the Armenian national hockey team, Vadim Guskov, commented on his team’s unexpected loss to Kuwait, which ended 5:4 in overtime. This marked Armenia’s first defeat at the home World Championship (Division IV) and significantly complicated their chances of advancing to Division III.
In an interview with Hockey Exotica, Guskov first addressed the fans:
“I want to apologize to the fans. They believed in us until the very end. Huge thanks and respect to them. We are very ashamed that, unfortunately, we couldn’t justify the trust of so many people and deliver the result that was needed.”
The coach did not look for excuses, admitting that the team should have handled this opponent. After an impressive victory over Uzbekistan, considered the tournament favorite, the match against Kuwait was expected to strengthen Armenia’s standing — but things went off track.
To recall, Kuwait led 4–0 by the middle of the second period, but the Armenian team showed character and managed to level the score. Goals from Artyom Kuznetsov, Ilya Kryvykh, and a double from Tigran Manukyan revived hopes, but in overtime, Ilya Drozdetskikh scored the winning goal for Kuwait.
Now, Armenia faces two crucial matches — against Iran and Indonesia. To move up to the next division, they must not only win both games but also hope for Uzbekistan, the current leader, to slip up.
“We’re not giving up. It’s not over yet,” Guskov added, hinting at the team’s determination to bounce back in the remaining matches.