Manuel Tulipa: The score does not reflect the picture of the game

Manuel Tulipa, the Portuguese head coach of the Armenian football champions Ararat-Armenia, commented on the 0–2 defeat suffered against Slovenia's Celje in the return leg of the Champions League third qualifying round. Ararat-Armenia had won the home match 2–1.

"This match clearly demonstrated how cruel football can be; before we conceded the first goal, we were very close to scoring ourselves, but when you fail to score, the situation changes, and we ended up conceding two goals.

Most importantly, I want to note that our players displayed fearless football, even though the fans had created a very intimidating atmosphere. The 0–2 scoreline does not reflect the reality of the match; it would have been fairer had the game gone to extra time.

After the match, I told the players that I am proud to work with them," noted Tulipa.

Ararat-Armenia will continue their campaign in the Europa League play-off round, facing the winner of the tie between Finland's KuPS and Romania's Universitatea Craiova.

Ararat-Armenia has secured a spot in at least the main stage of the Conference League.