Pyunik Yerevan saw off Van 3-0 in the Armenian Premier League's second round on Saturday, moving further clear of trouble at the bottom. The hosts controlled proceedings from the opening whistle, and here's the thing — they never really looked threatened after taking the lead.
I. Pikis broke the deadlock in the 14th minute, finding space to slot home after Van's defence had been stretched too wide. The visitors refused to go away, but their attacks lacked direction and Pyunik's back line stayed compact throughout.
A yellow card came at the 31st minute, a minor interruption to an otherwise straightforward afternoon. By then Pyunik had already established their dominance, keeping possession and dictating the tempo without allowing Van any real foothold.
K. Hovhannisyan doubled the advantage just before half-time in the 40th minute, capitalising on a moment of hesitation from the Van defence. The home side switched to a back three during the break and played the second half a man up in spirit, even if the numbers didn't change.
G. Tarakhchyan added a third in the 70th minute to complete the scoring, and to be fair, Van never got going enough to threaten a comeback. The away end never stopped, but their support could only watch as the gap grew larger.
Pyunik registered 9 shots on target from 14 attempts, while Van managed just 1 on target from 2 attempts. The hosts enjoyed 73 per cent possession and launched 86 attacks compared to Van's 40, though many of those shots went begging without finding the net.
The result keeps Pyunik in second place on 14 points from six games, with four wins and two draws. Van remain dead last on a solitary point, five defeats and one draw in their opening six outings, and there is unrest in the dressing room if the pattern continues.
