Sandro Lima’s 90th-minute goal gives Ararat-Armenia a 1-0 win

Ararat-Armenia edge Craiova 1-0 after extraordinary late sequence

Ararat-Armenia defeated Universitatea Craiova 1-0 in the UEFA Europa League play-offs at the Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium in Yerevan on Thursday. The decisive moment arrived in the 90th minute, when Sandro Lima scored the only normal goal of the match after the event log also recorded two missed penalties by the same player in the closing minute.

The result ended a closely contested match with no goal separating the teams until the final stages. Ararat-Armenia used Tulipa’s 4-3-3 formation, while Filipe Coelho set Universitatea Craiova up in a 3-4-3. Craiova had the greater share of possession, controlling 54% compared with Ararat-Armenia’s 46%, and also produced more attempts overall.

Craiova held the statistical advantage

Universitatea Craiova registered two shots on goal, five off target and one blocked effort. Ararat-Armenia had two shots off goal and no shots on goal according to the match statistics. That made the final score particularly striking: the home side found the winning goal despite recording fewer attempts and no registered shot on target.

Craiova also won three corners to Ararat-Armenia’s none and was flagged offside twice, while the hosts were not caught offside. The foul count remained low, with Ararat-Armenia committing four and Craiova three, reinforcing the picture of a controlled and even game rather than an open contest dominated by either side.

Late penalties and disciplinary activity

Sandro Lima was the central figure in the finish. Two 90th-minute entries list him as having missed a penalty, with both entries also naming Lima as the assist provider, before a further 90th-minute entry credits him with the winning normal goal. The supplied match events do not specify how the goal was finished, but Lima’s late conversion settled the tie.

The disciplinary record became busier as the match progressed. N. Bancu was booked for Universitatea Craiova in the 48th minute, followed by Ararat-Armenia’s B. R. Wilson Valdez in the 80th. S. Nsimba and Teles both received yellow cards for Craiova in the 90th minute.

Substitutions shaped the closing stages

Craiova introduced Teles for T. Baluta in the 62nd minute, S. Nsimba for A. Al Hamlawi in the 72nd and M. Etim for S. Baiaram in the 89th. Ararat-Armenia replaced Benny with Franca Carlos in the 70th minute, then made two changes in the 77th, bringing on Z. Shaghoyan for Z. Banjaqui and J. A. Balanta for A. Serobyan.

Ararat-Armenia’s victory gives the team a win after its most recent listed result was a draw. Craiova’s previous sequence was a draw, win and draw, most recent first, so this defeat interrupts that run. No standings data is available for either team, meaning the result’s precise impact on their league positions cannot be established from the supplied information.