Qarabag failed to complete a crucial home task in the Champions League. The 2:4 defeat to Ajax in the sixth round of the main stage has put a big question mark over the team’s chances of reaching the playoffs. The home side’s performance also left a heavy impression, especially compared to their previous matches in the European competition.
As reported by Idman.Biz, much was said before the match about the Amsterdam side going through a crisis, with their results throughout the season cited as evidence. But which great clubs have never experienced difficult times? The opponent’s play showed the opposite, and the great legacy of Johan Cruyff cannot simply disappear. After all, Ajax is a team that preaches total football, meaning its main strength is attack. The club has played in the Champions League for decades, and graduates of its academy are highly sought after. Therefore, saying that Qarabag were the favourites of the pair was, to put it mildly, somewhat premature.
Yes, in terms of the current tournament and the standings, the champion of Azerbaijan appeared to be in a more favourable position. Victories over Benfica and Copenhagen, as well as a draw with Chelsea, naturally inspired unprecedented optimism and belief that the Aghdam side were capable of great things. But the match against Ajax showed that the team still has a lot of work to do in order to align their playing model with the European standard.
Last year the two clubs met in the Europa League, when the Dutch team won 3:0 in Baku. This time they scored even more – four goals. And this despite the fact that Qarabag took the lead twice, while "Ajax" seemingly adopted the famous Brazilian principle: "You will score as many as you can, and we will score as many as we want." In the end, the visitors’ three goals came in a relatively short period – from the 79th to the 90th minute, with Oscar Gloukh scoring a brace. Meanwhile, the efficiency of Qarabag’s attacks left much to be desired, especially after Nariman Ahundzade and Aleksei Kashchuk came onto the field.
"Ajax" played in their usual manner, while Qarabag failed to demonstrate tactical flexibility compared to their previous European matches. And it seems that despite individual games, the team is not yet ready for participation in the Champions League playoffs. This means they need to focus on more realistic goals – enjoying the game itself in Europe’s main club tournament.
After the defeat in Baku, Gurban Gurbanov’s team dropped to 22nd place with 7 points. Only the top 24 clubs advance further. Their next matches will take place next year – on January 22 they will host Eintracht, and on January 29 they will play Liverpool at Anfield.
Zaki Feyzullayev
