Armenian champions Ararat-Armenia have beaten Latvian title-holders Riga FC 2-0 in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 first qualifying round. Both goals came in the second half. The result hands manager Manuel Tulipa and his squad a comfortable platform heading into the return fixture.
Balanced first half, then discipline issues for Riga
The Football Academy Stadium in Armenia hosted a clash between two national title-holders. Riga FC arrived on the back of a remarkable 21-game unbeaten run across all competitions — a clear indication of the rhythm advantage enjoyed by the away team, who were deep into an already well-advanced Latvian league season. Ararat-Armenia, by contrast, were making their first competitive appearance of the current campaign. It also marked the club's return to European football — originally founded as FC Avan Academy, they were back on the continental stage as Armenian champions for the first time in six years, and for the third time overall under that title.
The first half ended goalless. Just before the break, Ararat-Armenia made a change: Valdez came on for Malis in the 44th minute. Riga remained solid for the time being, but the visitors' discipline would become a serious problem after the interval.
Oliveira strikes, Riga go down to ten men
The decisive phase began in the 54th minute when Badamosi received the first yellow card of the match for Riga. Nine minutes later the opener arrived: Hugo da Silva Oliveira scored in the 63rd minute, assisted by Muradyan. The right-back — born in 2002, Portuguese, who came through to professional football via Oliveirense in the Portuguese second division — notched an unlikely but well-documented goal for a player in his position. Riga continued to come under pressure: Oulad M'Hand was booked in the 68th minute, and four minutes later Orols was shown a red card in the 72nd minute. The Latvians were forced to see out the final twenty-odd minutes with ten men.
Carlos França Freires wraps it up
Ararat-Armenia made full use of their numerical advantage. Manager Tulipa responded with three substitutions in the 72nd and 73rd minutes, among them Carlos França Freires, who came on for Shaghoyan. The Brazilian striker had only joined Ararat-Armenia on a free transfer from Indonesian side Persijab shortly before the match, yet he needed just a matter of minutes to mark his debut: França Freires made it 2-0 in the 86th minute, converting an assist from Grigoryan.
Ararat-Armenia take a 2-0 lead into the second leg. Riga FC, despite their lengthy unbeaten run heading into this tie, must now overturn a two-goal deficit away from home and will be without the suspended Orols. The Armenian champions could hardly be better placed.
