Riga beat Ararat-Armenia 3-2 on Tuesday night yet the Champions League first qualifying round campaign still ended, the Armenian champions going through 4-3 on aggregate after their 2-0 first leg. The scoreline, the late penalty, the anxious reaction of the 4,801 inside Skonto stadions: all of it underlined how narrow the margins were and how much M. Zuntners still has to fix in this competition.
The Latvian champions, set up by Zuntners in a 4-3-3 built on a back four of Raivis Jurkovskis, Paulo Eduardo, Baba Musah and Andrés Salazar, launched exactly the response the crowd demanded. Iago Siqueira finished the first move of real quality in the 14th minute, Ahmed Ankrah doubled it in the 23rd. Ararat-Armenia, lining up in a 4-2-3-1 with Sandro Lima leading the line, looked rattled, their midfield screen stretched by Salah Oulad M'Hand drifting between the lines and Orlando Galo stepping on to second balls.
The interval team talk recalibrated the visitors. Zhirayr Shaghoyan struck in the 46th minute to trim the deficit, the perfect counterpunch while Riga were still reorganising. It turned the contest from comfortable into edgy and allowed Ararat-Armenia to slow the tempo, drawing Riga into fouls. Ankrah and Salazar collected yellows in the 66th minute, a signal that the Latvian midfield was now chasing shadows.
Sandro Lima levelled the night in the 63rd minute, exploiting the more cautious Riga shape as the home side tried to guard against away goals that no longer exist yet still echo psychologically. Riga lost the fluency that had defined the opening half. Their pressing lines dropped, their full backs stopped overlapping, and Reginaldo Ramires found himself isolated until a frantic finale.
The stoppage-time drama finally arrived. Hugo Oliveira’s caution in the 70th minute and Carlos França’s in the 85th hinted at Ararat-Armenia’s determination to manage the clock, but a late surge from Riga produced a penalty during added time. Ramires held his nerve in the fourth minute of stoppage time, converting from the spot. The roar was immediate, the belief rediscovered, but the aggregate maths stayed cruel.
Discipline shaped the flow. Referee Bence Csonka booked Edgar Grigoryan in the 34th minute, Salah Oulad M'Hand in the 41st and Orlando Galo three minutes later. By the time Zidane Banjaqui joined the list in the 66th minute the match had become a duel of attrition, the cloudy 23°C evening adding to the stamina test.
Key match data
- Goals: Iago Siqueira 14, Ahmed Ankrah 23, Zhirayr Shaghoyan 46, Sandro Lima 63, Reginaldo Ramires 90+4 (penalty)
- Bookings: Edgar Grigoryan 34, Salah Oulad M'Hand 41, Orlando Galo 44, Ahmed Ankrah 66, Andrés Salazar 66, Zidane Banjaqui 66, Hugo Oliveira 70, Reginaldo Ramires 72, Carlos França 85
- Referee: Bence Csonka
- Attendance: 4,801
- Venue: Skonto stadions, Riga
Riga will now lock in a domestic focus while monitoring potential reinforcements before the transfer window closes. Ararat-Armenia await the second qualifying round draw later this week, their resilience in Riga the main reason they are still in the competition.
