Alashkert won the previous championship and was five points ahead of their pursuers. Alexander Grigoryan was appointed head coach of the club at the end of the season. Under his leadership, the team had not yet lost and won the last two games with a minimum score of 1:0 against Ararat and Ararat-Armenia. The first match against the Welsh took place with an overwhelming advantage on the side of “Alashkert” in terms of the number of attacks and strikes. Before the break, the Armenian team scored twice and won 2:1, but Connah’s Quay won back in the middle of the second half and the match ended in a draw.
Okayama cannot succeed in three matches in a row, which is why the team led by Kenji Arima fell to 13th place in the table of the second-strongest Japanese division. The club is still far from the relegation zone, but if the situation does not improve in the near future, the gap may be seriously narrowed. As for the performance in the cup, in the first round the team managed to break the resistance of Tokyo Verdi on a foreign field. The only goal in that game in the 61st minute was scored by Tatsuhiko Noguchi. Today, the opponent is many times more powerful. They might be able to create a sensation.
