A Historic Opportunity for Armenia: Everything is in Our Hands

A war is anticipated for three points. Ahead of the World Cup qualifying match against the Ireland national team, Armenia's head coach Yeghishe Melikyan announced yesterday. Today at 22:45, the Armenian team will compete against the Irish in Dublin, and a victory would create a genuine historic opportunity to secure the second position in the qualifying rounds for the first time.

If our team finishes second in the group, they will advance to the playoffs and continue the fight for a spot in the World Cup finals. It is noteworthy that Melikyan's team currently holds this historical opportunity. Let’s explore what is necessary to achieve success.

After the third round of the qualifying phase, the Armenian national team is in third place in the group with 3 points, just one point behind Hungary, which is in second place. Last, in fourth place, Ireland has earned one point. The team in first place, Portugal, will compete against Hungary at home today, and a victory would secure their top position ahead of time.

We all understand that Hungary's chances of winning this match are extremely low. Therefore, if the Armenian team wins in Dublin, they will surpass Hungary, whom they will face in Yerevan on November 13 in the penultimate fifth round. In short, if they win against Ireland and Hungary in the next two matches, Armenia will secure their place in second position before the final round and continue the battle in the playoffs.

Yes, everything is in our hands. Admittedly, the task is difficult, but to say it is unrealistic would not be correct. We defeated the Irish team just a month ago, and the recent match against Hungary in Budapest showed that it is also possible to fight for a positive outcome against this opponent.