With the match in Cyprus time on Tuesday 07 July, 19:00 EEST, the result gave Tulipa's side the kind of night their supporters wanted, while Adrian Gula's Riga FC were left to explain a second half that slipped away after 54, 68 and 72.
The game stayed locked at 0-0 through half-time, but the first goal on 63 changed the tone immediately. Ararat Armenia then added a second on 86 to make the margin comfortable, and the sequence told the story: patience first, control later, and a finish that matched the scoreboard. For fans in Cyprus following through Cytavision, the timing of the goals made the second half the decisive stretch, with the home side finding the moments that mattered most.
Discipline also shaped the closing phase. Riga FC were shown yellow cards on 54 and 68 before the red card on 72 pushed them into an even harder final spell, and that left little room to recover once Ararat Armenia had taken the lead. The visitors' formation of 4-3-2-1 did not protect them after the break, while Tulipa's 4-3-3 gave Ararat Armenia the width and forward pressure to keep moving the game toward the result they needed. At Football Academy Stadium, the pattern was simple enough to read from the facts on the board.
The 0-0 interval score meant the fixture remained open for 45 minutes, yet the home side used the 63 goal to make the contest theirs and the 86 strike to close it out. Riga FC never found a reply, and once the red card arrived on 72 their task became even more demanding. In Cyprus, where the match was available through Cytavision, the final stretch would have confirmed that the game had shifted decisively toward the hosts.
- Half-time stayed at 0-0, so the match was still balanced when the teams went in.
- Ararat Armenia scored first on 63, giving Tulipa's side the lead at Football Academy Stadium.
- Riga FC received yellow cards on 54 and 68, then a red card on 72, which changed the pressure in the second half.
For Cyprus viewers, the result offered a clean, decisive finish in UEFA Champions League Qualification Round 1, with the home side making the most of the second half and the visitors unable to respond after the 72 red card.
