Pyunik Thrash Gandzasar in First Match at Freedom Arena and Climb to Second Place

Yerevan's Pyunik marked their debut at their new home stadium, Freedom Arena, with a convincing victory. In Matchday 11 of the 2026/27 Armenian Premier League, Dmitry Gunko's side defeated Gandzasar Kapan 3-0 and moved into second place in the league standings.

The match took place on October 23 and marked a historic occasion for the Yerevan club. For the first time, Pyunik played an official home fixture at the newly built Freedom Arena, which will now serve as the team's permanent home ground.

The new stadium is located next to Pyunik's football academy and meets UEFA Category 2 stadium requirements.

Pyunik Score Three Goals in the Second Half

The first half ended goalless. Despite the home side's dominance, Gandzasar managed to keep a clean sheet until the break.

However, Pyunik converted their superiority into goals after halftime.

Sead Islamovic opened the scoring in the 59th minute, becoming the first Pyunik player to find the net at the club's new home stadium.

In the 75th minute, Iasonas Pikis doubled the hosts' advantage. It was the Cypriot forward's eighth goal of the current Armenian Premier League season. Pikis remains firmly in contention for the league's Golden Boot, sharing the top spot in the scoring charts with eight goals.

The final score was established in the 82nd minute. After the ball struck the goalpost, it rebounded off Gandzasar goalkeeper David Davidyan and crossed the goal line. The goal was recorded as an own goal by the visiting goalkeeper.

Pyunik thus celebrated their first match at Freedom Arena with an emphatic 3-0 victory.

Pyunik Continue Their Pursuit of Noah

The victory took Dmitry Gunko's side to 25 points and lifted them into second place in the Armenian Premier League, overtaking Ararat-Armenia.

Defending champions Noah remain at the top of the standings with 28 points from ten matches.

Pyunik continue their strong run of results following a commanding 5-0 victory over BKMA and a 1-1 draw against Noah in previous rounds.

Gandzasar, meanwhile, remain bottom of the 12-team league table with just three points.

Pyunik's next Armenian Premier League match is scheduled for October 30 against Urartu. Before that, the Yerevan club will face Ararat in the Armenian Cup Round of 16 on October 27.

Van Come From Behind to Beat Ararat

In another Matchday 11 fixture, Van secured a 2-1 home victory over Yerevan's Ararat at the Charentsavan City Stadium.

The visitors took the lead in the 26th minute when Okochukwu Chukwu scored with a powerful long-range effort. However, Rafael Nascimento equalized in the 40th minute, five minutes before halftime.

Josue Gaba scored the winning goal for Van in the 67th minute.

Following this victory, the Charentsavan-based team have collected 10 points and sit ninth in the standings. Ararat occupy eighth place with 11 points.

In the next round, Van will travel to Armavir to face Sardarapat, while Ararat will host Alashkert at the Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium in Yerevan.