T. Guddal’s Two Goals Help Sparta Praha Beat Ararat-Armenia 4-1

Sparta Praha opened their UEFA Europa League league-stage campaign with a 4-1 win over Ararat-Armenia at the Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium in Yerevan. The visitors led 2-0 at half-time and remained in control after the break, despite Ararat-Armenia pulling one goal back.

Guddal sets the tone

Sparta Praha made the decisive start through T. Guddal. He opened the scoring in the 20th minute after an assist from A. Karabec, then doubled the advantage two minutes later with his second normal goal of the match. The quick sequence gave Sparta a clear platform before the interval and left Ararat-Armenia facing a two-goal deficit at half-time.

Guddal was the standout figure in the opening phase, producing both of Sparta’s first-half goals. A. Karabec also made an important contribution by supplying the assist for the opener. Ararat-Armenia’s recent form had included a draw, a win and a loss in its three most recent matches, while Sparta arrived after a win, and the early scoreline reflected the visitors’ stronger start.

Sparta restores its advantage

The home side’s task became harder in the 53rd minute when J. Mercado added Sparta’s third goal, assisted by J. Alcocer. Ararat-Armenia responded quickly. B. R. Wilson Valdez scored in the 55th minute after Sandro Lima’s assist, reducing the deficit to two goals and giving the hosts a brief route back into the contest.

That response did not lead to an equaliser. P. Vydra restored Sparta’s three-goal cushion in the 71st minute, with M. Jurasek providing the assist. The substitutions around those moments also brought changes to both teams: Sparta introduced M. Vojta, P. Vydra, M. Jurasek and A. Irving, while Ararat-Armenia brought on Franca Carlos and later J. A. Balanta. Mercado scored before leaving the field, while Vydra entered and then found the net.

Discipline and league impact

Ararat-Armenia collected three yellow cards in the closing stages. A. Serobyan was booked in the 57th minute, followed by E. Grigoryan in the 88th and K. Muradyan in the 90th. No Sparta Praha player was listed as receiving a card.

The result places Sparta Praha first in the league-stage table with three points from one game and a goal difference of plus three. Ararat-Armenia is 36th with no points from its opening match and a goal difference of minus three. The final score gave Sparta a strong beginning to the league stage, while Ararat-Armenia’s first fixture ended in defeat.