Noah lose to Sion and end their European campaign
- Author: Vahe Hakobyan
- Sportaran
Noah have completed their 2026/27 European campaign after suffering a 2-1 defeat away to Swiss side Sion in the second leg of the UEFA Conference League third qualifying round.
Sion won the tie 4-3 on aggregate and advanced to the play-off round, where they will face Amsterdam side Ajax.
The second leg in Switzerland started very well for Sandro Perković's team. Noah made an energetic start and managed to open the scoring, with Hélder Ferreira converting a penalty. Overall, the Armenian side produced an excellent first half and prevented the hosts from creating many dangerous chances.
The game changed after the break. Sion significantly increased the tempo, while Noah were unable to withstand the pressure from the Swiss side. Winsley Boteli equalised in the 53rd minute, before Baltazar scored the hosts' second goal ten minutes later to secure victory for Sion.
The two-legged tie showed that Noah are capable of competing on equal terms with a team of this level. However, Sion's superior physical condition and greater squad depth ultimately made the difference. In both matches, the Swiss side were noticeably stronger in the second half, which proved to be one of the key factors in the final outcome.
Noah therefore end their European campaign having earned 0.500 points for Armenia in the UEFA coefficient rankings.
Noah's results in this season's European campaign:
- Zimbru — Noah — 1-1
- Noah — Zimbru — 2-0
- Noah — Sion — 2-2
- Sion — Noah — 2-1
Line-ups
Noah: Dani Figueira — Eric Boakye, Sergey Muradyan (80, Pavlović), Nathanaël Saintini, David Sualehe — Gustavo Sangaré, Gor Manvelyan (56, Hamoyan), Takuto Oshima (64, Lazetić) — Hélder Ferreira, Brian Oddei (56, Costache) — Marin Jakoliš (80, Doumbia).
Sion: Racioppi — Lavanchy, Sow, Kronig, Marquinhos — Kabacalman, Baltazar, Chouaref (84, Bërdayes), Surdez (70, Rrudhani), Boteli (83, Lukembila) — Nivokazi (70, Kololli).