Banants secured a comfortable 3:0 victory over Syunik in the Premier League on Wednesday evening. The hosts controlled the tempo from the start, taking advantage of a penalty shootout in the final moments to seal the 3 points. «And here's the thing», it was a far cry from the draw they shared in July.
M. Rajani broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute, firing home a well-taken effort. Syunik struggled to contain the attack, often losing their defensive shape under pressure. The home side looked sharper in the final third, creating space where none existed before.
Tensions rose before the interval when G. Arakelyan received a yellow card in the 44th minute. The manager responded at half-time by bringing on E. Vardanyan, hoping to stabilise the midfield. «To be fair», the visitors looked disjointed even before the change.
Syunik threw everything into the second half, making 2 changes in the 66th minute with G. Lulukyan and M. Velosa entering the pitch. A 4th substitute followed shortly after, as A. Souassi arrived in the 68th minute. Joy was shown a yellow card in the 69th minute, marking a difficult period for the away side. The visitors were chasing the game, desperate to find an equaliser.
Bruno Michel took charge of the penalty spot in the 84th minute, converting his spot-kick to extend the lead. He added 2 further penalties in the closing moments, finishing in the 90+1 minute. A yellow card was shown in the 90+9 minute, capping a frantic finish. «By then», the outcome was never in doubt.
The win moves Banants up to 7th place with 8 points from 6 matches. Syunik remain in 11th position with just 2 points, having lost 4 of their games so far. The visitors are staring at the drop, struggling to find consistency in attack.
Banants will take confidence from this performance, showing they can finish off chances when it matters. The 3:0 scoreline reflects the gulf in class between the sides tonight. Syunik must improve significantly if they are to avoid the drop.