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YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 2, ARMENPRESS. “Rayo Vallecano” played against “Deportivo” as visitors during the regular round of Spanish Primera. The match ended 2:2, “Armenpress” reports.
Armenian National Football Team’s footballer Aras Özbiliz, transferred to “Rayo Vallecano” some days ago, was not included in the line-ups of the match. “Rayo Vallecano” opened the score in 8th minute with Micoud scoring the goal. Lucas Pérez made an equalizer in 19th minute. Then the clubs exchanged 2 goals and made the score 2:2.
The Madrid club shares 17-18 places with “Granada” after 22 rounds with 20 points. “Rayo” will host “Las Palmas” in the next round, on February 6.
Aras was born on 9 March 1990 in the Bakırköy district of Istanbul, Turkey, to Armenian parents. He was named after the Aras River. His ancestors adopted the surname "Ozbiliz", literally meaning "one, who preserves his identity." In the early 1990s, his family emigrated from Turkey to the Netherlands. Five years later, he started playing football for the youth team of HVV Hollandia. When he was eight years old, Aras joined the youth team of Ajax. He playedtwo seasons for the Dutch club’s first team, in which he had some very good games. His most memorable moment for them was when he scored the equalizer at Old Trafford against Manchester United in 2012. At the end of that season he was sold to Krasnodar, before moving to Spartak Moscow only one year later for a transfer fee of € 8 million.
In mid-May 2010, Aras Ozbiliz was invited by the Football Federation of Armenia to take part in the formation of the youth national team of Armenia. In early October 2011, Aras was called to play the match against Armenia and Macedonia, which was held on 7 October. On 4 October 2011, on order of the President Serzh Sargsyan, Aras Ozbiliz received Armenian citizenship and became a player of the Armenia national football team. Ozbiliz was given from the President of the Football Federation of Armenia Ruben Hayrapetyan an Armenia team T-shirt with the number 23.On 29 February 2012, Aras debuted for the national team of Armenia during a friendly match with Canada and scored a goal in that same match.