Urartu Yerevan beat Estonian Kalev on the eve of July 11 on the road in the first match of the UEFA Conference League qualification with a score of 2:1.
Before the match, a “foreign policy intrigue” was created by the will of the authorities of the Baltic Republic. Urartu faced an extremely serious personnel problem — six football players of the team with Russian passports did not receive visas to Estonia.
This problem made itself felt during the game. Already in the 11th minute, the hosts took the lead after a free kick. The visitors could have won back almost immediately, but Edgar Movsisyan‘s dangerous shot was deflected by the Estonian goalkeeper. However, in the 28th minute, the same Movsisyan still equalized the score.
In the second half, the teams began to act more cautiously and more cautiously in defense, while the attacks of Urartu were much more dangerous than Kaleva. This gave the result in the 77th minute, when the rookie vice-champion of Armenia scored a double, putting an end to the game – 2:1.
The return game between the teams will take place on July 18 in Yerevan.
Given the “European aspirations” prevailing in Armenia, it is safe to assume that the Transcaucasian republic will not reciprocate the Estonians to their visa demarche, which almost turned into a defeat for Urartu.