YEREVAN (Reuters) – Armenia recorded their first win in more than three years as they beat Northern Ireland 1-0 with a late goal in their Euro 2004 qualifier on Saturday.
Veteran midfielder Artur Petrosyan scored three minutes from time with a close range strike after a goalmouth scramble to celebrate his 60th international cap with a win in Group Six.
Armenia’s last victory was a 3-0 win over Andorra in their previous European qualifying campaign in October 1999.
The win moved Armenia into third place with four points from three matches–while Northern Ireland remain bottom with just a point. The Irish have yet to score after three qualifiers.
Northern Ireland had a good chance to open their account late in the first half but Damien Johnson had trouble controlling the ball on a slippery pitch with only goalkeeper Roman Berezovsky to beat.
The fast-paced match was played on a cold night in Yerevan where light snow began to fall shortly after kick off.
Spain–who face Ukraine in Kiev later on Saturday–lead the group with a maximum six points from two games ahead of Ukraine–who are a point behind after three matches. Fourth-placed Greece have three points from their three games.