Armenia Could Rise to 2nd Place and Close in on Portugal Tomorrow

In the second round of the World Cup qualifying phase, Armenia's national team will play its second match tomorrow at the Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium against Ireland. It is noteworthy that just two days ago, our team suffered a heavy 0:5 defeat at home to Portugal and is currently last in the qualifying subgroup, sitting in 4th place.

However, tomorrow's game could drastically change the situation. It’s worth mentioning that the result of the match between our rivals in the opening round was quite favorable for Armenia. Specifically, in the match held in Dublin, the Ireland national team managed to score a goal in the 3rd minute of stoppage time with their opponent down to 10 players, ending the game in a 2:2 draw.

At this moment, Ireland and Hungary share the 2nd and 3rd places with one point each. If Armenia defeats Ireland tomorrow, they could potentially move up to 2nd place, narrowing the gap with Portugal. Notably, tomorrow the Portuguese team will face Hungary in Budapest, and there is a high likelihood that one of the world’s strongest teams will at least avoid a defeat.

Thus, the match against Ireland could be pivotal for us, placing us temporarily in 2nd place before the anticipated confrontation with Hungary in October. It is important to note that the teams finishing first in the groups secure direct spots in the World Cup final, while the teams in second place will continue their quest in the playoffs.