Newcomers Shine, Michel Pulls Ahead: Armenian Premier League Round 18 Recap

Matches of Round 18 of the Armenian Premier League have been completed. The leaders of the standings largely confirmed their status by securing victories, while one of the key storylines of the round was once again the impressive performances of newcomers who joined teams during the winter transfer window.

Round 18 Results

Shirak — Noah 0:2
Ararat-Armenia — Van 3:0
Urartu — BKMA 4:1
Pyunik — Alashkert 1:0
Ararat — Gandzasar 0:2

New players in the league continue to make an impact. Luxembourg forward Lucca Rodrigues scored for Gandzasar, while Mariano Ahouangbo recorded an assist.

In the central match of the round, Momo Yansane scored the decisive goal that gave Pyunik a victory over Alashkert.

Midfielder David Harutyunyan scored his first goal for BKMA against his former club Urartu, but it did not help his team avoid defeat.

For Ararat-Armenia, newcomers Zidan Banjaki and Alioune Ndour got on the scoresheet, while Valentin Costache, one of the most notable winter transfers, secured Noah’s win against Shirak.

A total of 13 goals were scored in the round, with only three coming from Armenian players:
Artur Serobyan (Ararat-Armenia),
Nikolas Kalukyan (Urartu),
David Harutyunyan (BKMA).

The standout player of the round was Urartu forward Bruno Michel, who scored a brace. The Brazilian strengthened his lead in the top scorers’ race with 15 goals. His closest pursuers, Momo Toure and Karen Nalbandyan of Alashkert, have 8 goals each.

There were no major changes at the top of the standings: almost all leaders won their matches, with Alashkert’s defeat to Pyunik being the only exception.

In the next round, the teams will face the same opponents again but will switch home venues. After that, the league will pause for the international break, during which the Armenia national team will play friendly matches against the UAE (March 26) and Belarus (March 29).