The Armenian national team finished the UEFA Nations League play-offs with a defeat against Georgia, losing by an aggregate score of 1:9 over two matches. In the second leg, held in Tbilisi, the Georgian team secured a dominant 6:1 victory. The only goal for Armenia was scored by Edgar Sevikyan, assisted by Vahan Bichakhchyan. This was Sevikyan’s second goal for the national team.
As a result, Armenia remains in League C of the Nations League, while Georgia advances to League B.
Match Progress
From the very first minutes, the Georgian team dominated the field, managing to take a 5:0 lead by the 35th minute. The goals were scored by Kiteishvili and Chakvetadze, while Mikautadze netted twice, and an own goal was recorded by Varazdat Haroyan. Such a powerful start by the hosts shocked the Armenian team and its head coach, John van’t Schip.
In an attempt to change the course of the match, van’t Schip made drastic substitutions before halftime, replacing Solomon Udo, Ugochukwu Iwu, and Kamo Hovhannisyan with Artur Serobyan, Sergey Muradyan, and Edgar Grigoryan.
In the second half, Armenia played more actively and managed to pull one goal back in the 48th minute when Edgar Sevikyan scored an acrobatic goal from a Bichakhchyan assist. It briefly seemed like the visitors might regain some momentum, but soon after, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored Georgia’s sixth goal, sealing a 6:1 victory.
Results and Prospects
This crushing defeat was a heavy blow for Armenian fans and complicated the position of the new head coach. John van’t Schip has only just begun his tenure with the team, and such an unfortunate start will likely make him reconsider various aspects of their gameplay.
Nevertheless, Armenia will soon have a chance to rectify the situation and test new tactics in upcoming friendly matches: on June 6, the team will face Kosovo, followed by a match against Montenegro on June 9. These games will serve as a dress rehearsal before the start of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
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John van 't Schip's Press Conference After Armenia's 1:6 Defeat to Georgia