Derry City ... 0 FC Pyunik ... 0That Shaktar Donetsk could unveil a player yesterday who will end up costing them €21.5 million in fees and wages over the next three years gives some indication of what lies in store for one of these sides in the next round of the Champions League qualifiers.
Just who will have the task of coping with Italian striker Cristiano Lucarelli's new employers, however, remains very much in the balance after last night's scoreless draw at the Brandywell.
"If the tables were turned and we'd come away from there with a result like this then we'd consider ourselves favourites," conceded Derry City manager John Robertson after the final whistle. "But there were two good teams out there and we didn't concede an away goal, which is massive these days in European football.
"A score draw out there now would still favour us and that's not to be taken lightly."
Derry City dominated last night in terms of both possession and chances created but against a side whose first priority was clearly the clean sheet they could not press home their advantage.
"We started terrifically well and it took some inspired goalkeeping to keep them in it early on," said Robertson. "We said to the lads that all we needed was a little bit more quality in the last quarter. In the end we couldn't find it but we're still very much in there fighting."
City's search for a goal did indeed start brightly, Pat McCourt looking lively and inventive when running at defenders from wide out on the left and Barry Molloy and Ciarán Martyn both looking to push on into their opponents' area from more central positions.
Within a few minutes McCourt had forced the visiting goalkeeper into a terrific fingertip save and from the resulting corner Sammy Morrow's header had to be cleared off the line.
It was promising stuff and for a while the home team maintained the momentum against a side who, it initially seemed hard to believe, contained seven full internationals with another two held in reserve on the bench.
Particularly curious was the standard of Pyunik's defending over the opening minutes with Derry players repeatedly allowed to work into dangerous positions as the back four struggled to settle.
Gareth McGlynn's crosses and set-pieces were a constant source of difficulty for the Armenians until his replacement just short of an hour while Gevorg Kasparov had to scramble the ball to safety more than once as those in front of him were obliged to hit hasty back passes while under pressure from local opponents.
Pyunik, for their part, managed just one chance of note through the first period - Aghvan Mkrtchyan testing Pat Jennings with a fierce 30-yard low drive - but briefly appeared to signal more offensive intentions at the start of the second half by bringing on their big and quick Cameroonian striker, Felix Hzeina.
Sure enough, the African's pace tested his markers a couple of times but fortunately his control wasn't what was required when put under pressure.
As Derry pushed forward Hzeina also started to look increasingly isolated with Pyunik repeatedly seeking to cram nine outfield players into their own area as the home side desperately sought to carve out clear-cut chances.
They succeeded in some style a little less than an hour in when McGlynn, with almost his last kick of the game, lofted a wonderful ball into the path of Martyn but the midfielder played a sidefooted volley into the arms of the goalkeeper when there had been a lot of empty goal to aim at.
Over what time was left, McCourt remained the hosts' most likely source of a decisive opening. But the 23-year-old continually found it easier to beat opposing defenders than find a Derry striker with a measured final ball.
Indeed, the forwards, initially Mark Farren and Morrow, before the introduction of Gary Beckett and then Peter Hynes, found life increasingly difficult as their markers got tighter and the midfield dropped back to crowd them out.
In the end it proved a highly effective approach for the Armenian champions, who leave for home this morning with their job perhaps a little more than half done.
DERRY CITY: Jennings; McCallion, Hutton, Oman, Hargan; McGlynn (Deery, 58 mins), Molloy, Martyn, McCourt; Morrow (McHugh, 68 mins), Farren (Hynes, 86 mins).
FC PYUNIK:Kasparov; Hovsepyan, Arzumanyan, Dokhoyan, Yateosjan; Pachajyan, Yeoigaryan, Nazaryan, Mkrtchyan (Sahakayan, 79 mins); Ghazaryan (Mkhitaryan, 63 mins); Gvergeozian (Hzeina, half-time).
Referee:S Trifonos (Cyprus).
