Marsaxlokk on the brink after heavy first-leg defeat to Pyunik

MARSAXLOKK   0

PYUNIK                3

Yansane 40 (pen).; Dashyan 50; Kovalenko 65

MARSAXLOKK
C. Mafoumbi; W. Silva, J. Minala, O. El Hasni, J. Corbalan, R. Mihana (54 N.  Muscat), D. Simkus (65 L. Caruana), I. Christie-Davies (54 J. Arias), L. Aguirre (23 O. Bykov), R. Linden (54 M. Silva), Dodo.

PYUNIK

H. Avagyan; S. Islamovic (83 E. Simonyan), S. Vakulenko, Filipe Almeida, H. Harutyunyan (62 E. Malakyan), K. Hovhannisyan (69 G. Tarakhchyan), N. Kainourgios, M. Kovalenko (69 R. Darbinyan), D. Kulikov, M. Yansane (62 I. Pikis), A. Dashyan.

Referee: Milos Gigovic (Bosnia FA).

Yellow card: Corbalan.

Marsaxlokk are on the brink of elimination from the UEFA Conference League after suffering a 3-0 defeat to Armenian side Pyunik in the first leg of their first qualifying round tie at the Centenary Stadium on Thursday.

The Maltese side started brightly and looked to take the game to their opponents in the opening exchanges, but Pyunik gradually took control and produced a composed display to claim a deserved victory.

The visitors created the first clear opportunity when Momo Yansane fired over from close range before Marsaxlokk goalkeeper Christoffer Mafoumbi produced a fine save to keep out a long-range effort.

Yansane continued to trouble the home defence and was denied again by Mafoumbi, who blocked the striker’s effort from a tight angle as Pyunik increased the pressure.

Marsaxlokk suffered an early setback after 23 minutes when Leandro Aguirre was forced off through injury. He was replaced by summer signing Oleksy Bykov, who slotted in at left-back.

Pyunik made the breakthrough five minutes before the interval after Juan Corbalan was adjudged to have fouled an opponent inside the penalty area. Yansane made no mistake from the spot, giving the Armenian side a crucial lead before half-time.

Marsaxlokk attempted to respond before the break, but Isaac Christie-Davies’ free-kick from outside the area failed to trouble the Pyunik goalkeeper.

Neither side made changes at the interval as Marsaxlokk looked to find a route back into the contest.

Instead, it was Pyunik who struck again early in the second half, with Artak Dashyan drilling a low shot beyond Mafoumbi to double the visitors’ advantage.

Marsaxlokk coach Vincenzo Potenza reacted by introducing José Arias, Matheus Silva and Nikolai Muscat in a triple substitution in an attempt to inject fresh energy into his side.

However, Pyunik effectively sealed both the match and, barring a remarkable turnaround in the return leg, qualification when Mikhail Kovalenko found the net with a composed finish from outside the area.

The Armenian side continued to dominate despite their comfortable lead and came close to adding a fourth goal when they struck the woodwork.

Marsaxlokk struggled to create meaningful opportunities as Pyunik remained firmly in control throughout the closing stages.

The hosts did have two final chances o reduce the deficit, but both Dodo and Silva failed to score as Marsaxlokk are left with a daunting task ahead of next week’s second leg.