2008 Armenian Premier League

The 2008 Armenian Premier League season (known as STAR National Football League due to sponsorship reasons) was the seventeenth since its establishment. It started on 6 April 2008, while the last matches were played on 15 November 2008. FC Pyunik were the defending champions. The Yerevan side won their seventh consecutive league title the previous season, their tenth overall. FC Dinamo Yerevan were supposed to be the team to get promoted, but they withdrew from the Premier League, and were disbanded.

Armenian Premier League
Season2008
ChampionsPyunik
11th Armenian title
Relegatednone
Champions LeaguePyunik
Europa LeagueGandzasar
Mika
Banants
Matches played112
Goals scored254 (2.27 per match)
Top goalscorerMarcos Pizzelli
(17 goals)
Biggest home winArarat 5–0 Kilikia
Biggest away winKilikia 1–5 Ararat
Kilikia 1–5 Mika
Highest scoringBanants 4–2 Kilikia
Kilikia 1–5 Ararat
Kilikia 1–5 Mika
← 2007
2009 →

On 30 April 2008, Football Federation of Armenia signed a contract with STAR retailing company by which STAR would become the sponsor of the 17th Armenian Premier League season, and henceforth the 2008 season would be called STAR National Football League.[1]

The league was played in four stages. The teams played each other four times, twice at home and twice away. The champions would have been the team with the most points after round 28. However, since Pyunik and Ararat Yerevan were tied on points at the end of the season, they had to play a decision game for the championship.

Participating teams
Location of teams in the 2008 Armenian Premier League
Club Location Stadium Capacity
Ararat YerevanYerevanCity Stadium (Abovyan)3,946
BanantsYerevanBanants Stadium3,600
GandzasarKapanGandzasar Stadium3,500
KilikiaYerevanHrazdan Stadium54,208
MikaYerevanMika Stadium7,250
PyunikYerevanRepublican Stadium14,403
ShirakGyumriGyumri City Stadium2,844
UlissesYerevanKasakhi Marzik Stadium3,500

League table
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Pyunik (C) 28 18 5 5 40 18 +22 59[lower-alpha 1] Qualification for the Champions League second qualifying round
2 Ararat Yerevan 28 18 5 5 48 23 +25 59[lower-alpha 1]
3 Gandzasar Kapan 28 13 8 7 39 27 +12 47 Qualification for the Europa League second qualifying round[lower-alpha 2]
4 Mika 28 13 7 8 38 28 +10 46 Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round[lower-alpha 2]
5 Banants 28 11 8 9 34 25 +9 41
6 Ulisses 28 7 8 13 19 29 −10 29
7 Shirak 28 5 4 19 15 40 −25 19
8 Kilikia 28 2 5 21 21 64 −43 11
Source: ffa.am
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions
Notes:
  1. Championship was decided by a decision game (see below).
  2. Ararat Yerevan did not obtain the license to compete in European competitions. Therefore, fourth-placed Mika earned a spot in the first qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League while Gandzasar were qualified for the second instead of first qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League.[2]

Decision game

Because Ararat and Pyunik were tied on points after the regular season, they played out the championship in a decision game.[3]

Pyunik2–1 (a.e.t.)Ararat Yerevan
Tadevosyan 68', 118' Report
(in Armenian)		 V. Minasyan 69'
Attendance: 5,000
Referee: Ararat Chagharyan

Results

Top goalscorers
Banants vs Pyunik (0-1), matchday 4 fixture (19 April 2008), at Banants Stadium

Source: ffa.am

Rank Scorer Team Goals
1 Armenia Marcos Pizzelli Ararat Yerevan 17
2 Armenia Albert Tadevosyan Pyunik 10
3 Armenia Alexander Petrosyan Gandzasar 9
4 Armenia Narek Beglaryan Mika 8
Armenia Gevorg Ghazaryan Pyunik
Armenia Karen N. Khachatryan Kilikia
7 Armenia Arsen Balabekyan Banants 7
Brazil Renato de Moraes Ararat Yerevan
9 Belarus Vital Lyadzyanyow Banants
Armenia Henrikh Mkhitaryan Pyunik

See also

References
  1. The Football Federation of Armenia and STAR company have signed a contract
  2. Four teams will represent Armenia in Euro Cups
  3. Pyunik vs. Ararat additional match will take place at Republican Stadium
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