FC Noah: Chelsea’s Upcoming Conference League Opponent

Armenian club FC Noah, a team with a name inspired by a biblical figure and contributions from Portugal’s football icon Luis Figo, is set to be one of Chelsea’s more intriguing opponents this season. The team will visit Stamford Bridge for a Conference League league phase match on Thursday, marking a historic achievement by reaching this stage. Their qualification journey included scoring 18 goals, notably a goal by goalkeeper Ognjen Cancarevic from a long clearance against AEK Athens, and an 88th-minute winning goal with ten players after losing a 3-0 aggregate advantage in their play-off. The Yerevan-based club has recorded a 2-0 victory against Czech team Mlada Boleslav and a 1-0 defeat away to Rapid Vienna in their initial two league fixtures, fueling their aspirations for advancing to the knockout rounds. Ambitious businessman Vardges Vardanyan assumed control of the club in August 2023, initiating an almost immediate transformation. Vardanyan stated, “Before the start of the European season, I set a goal for the team to reach the group stage of the Conference League.” He added, “Many viewed this as an unrealistic and nearly impossible target, but as you can see, despite all the challenges and obstacles, we have made it.”