Urartu loses to Neman in first leg of Conference League qualifiers

Yerevan-based Urartu began their European campaign with a defeat. In the first leg of the UEFA Europa Conference League first qualifying round, the team lost 1-2 to Grodno’s Neman.

The Belarusian side took the lead thanks to goals from Suchkov and Savitski. Urartu managed to pull one back through Nicholas Kaloukian, who scored after coming off the bench. Artemiy Gunko, also a substitute, provided the assist.

The return leg will take place on July 17 in the Hungarian city of Győr. The match will be held on neutral ground, and Urartu will need to win by at least one goal to advance to the next round.

It’s worth noting that Urartu will be without their first-choice goalkeeper, Gor Matinyan, in the second leg — he was sent off at the end of the match, and forward Vladislav Yakovlev had to take over in goal for the final minutes.