Mika cruise to Armenian Cup glory
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
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FC Mika made it six Armenian Cup triumphs from as many attempts by overcoming FC Shirak 4-1 in the final, with Narek Beglaryan scoring in either half for Armen Shahgeldyan's men.
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The Armenian Cup final was a case of history revisited as FC Mika beat FC Shirak 4-1 to win the trophy for the sixth time and earn a place in UEFA Europa League qualifying next season.
The Yerevan outfit had won all five of their previous finals while Shirak had lost in each of their three showpieces, and that pattern appeared set to continue from the early stages when Mika's Aram Voskanyan had an effort cleared off the line.
It was Alex who eventually scored the opener following a set-piece, before Narek Beglaryan doubled the lead. Shirak were quick to respond when Andranik Barikyan reduced their arrears, but in the second half Mika added two more through Beglaryan and former Manchester United FC striker Dong Fangzhou.
"I was lucky to score two goals, but I don't conceder myself a hero," said Beglaryan. "It was my job to score and my team-mates helped me. I will remember this final for a long time. We reached our goal by qualifying for the Europa League."
"By winning this trophy we fulfilled two goals at the same time," added Voskanyan. "We won the Armenian Cup and reached Europe." Coach Armen Shahgeldyan, for whom the trophy is his first at the Mika helm, said: "It's always more pleasurable to win than to lose but it's totally different for a player than for a coach. I'm proud of my lads. To be honest I haven't yet realised what we have accomplished."
