Artsakh edged Gandzasar 3:2 in the Premier League's sixth round on Thursday evening, keeping their perfect record intact despite a late scare. The hosts had looked comfortable after M. Jakolis struck twice in quick succession, but Gandzasar's stoppage-time goal forced a tense finish.
S. Mambo's own goal in the twelfth minute gave Artsakh an early advantage, and it held until L. Reis found the net for Gandzasar in the thirty-third. Jakolis then took over, scoring in the fortieth and forty-third minutes to put the hosts firmly in control.
And here's the thing — Jakolis's brace meant the game was effectively over at that point. Gandzasar made a substitution on the hour, but it was too little too late. Artsakh had ground out the win, though the visitors' late goal meant the result was never quite as comfortable as the scoreboard suggested.
The yellow cards tell a story of frustration. One came in the sixty-second minute, then three more arrived in the dying moments — two at ninety-eight and a final one at ninety-nine. Gandzasar were running out of time and patience.
to be fair, the result was never really in doubt. Artsakh sit top of the table with five wins from five, while Gandzasar languish in ninth place with just three points. The hosts had won four of their last five, the visitors had lost four.
Our prediction of a home win with 89 per cent confidence came true. Not the clean sheet we might have expected, but the three points were always going to Artsakh's end of the table.
