The extra time of the second overtime, the fourth part of the match between Qarabag and Braga held within the second leg of the Europa League playoffs... The stands were full at the Tofig Bahramov Stadium, everyone are waiting for the series of penalties that should clarify the 1/8 finalists. Head coaches Gurban Gurbanov and Artur George have started making plans for the players who will perform these kicks. The players of Qarabag and Braga are also psychologically preparing themselves for this "lottery". Except for one person...
Idman.biz reports that Nariman Akhundzade, who entered the field later, did not allow to go to the penalty shoot-out where luck played a big role as well as mastery.
The 20-year-old football player, who fought to the end in the last minutes, found his way to the opponent's goal in the 120th + 2nd minute. Nariman also affected to this historic victory of Azerbaijani football. Azerbaijan, which made its debut in 1994 in the Euro Cups, got the opportunity to be represented in the 1/8 finals for the first time.
Of course, even without that goal, Qarabag could have won the penalty shootout. But Nariman, who did not want to leave the historical chance of the team to luck, decided the fate of the couple in extra time with a killer blow that minimized the difference in the score (2:3).
This historical goal of the young forward was scored against Braga one week late. Akhundzade could clarify the fate of the pair to a great extent during the away meeting held in Portugal. At that time, a missed real scoring opportunity in extra time would have made the score 5:2 and ended Braga's hopes.
The missed opportunity resulted in tears. Head coach Gurban Gurbanov also announced this after the match: "So far, I haven't had the opportunity to talk to him. I did not see Nariman in the dressing room. He was probably hiding. After missing the goal, he started crying on the field. We believe in him and he has time to develop."
The head coach’s trust on him was not in vain. Nariman was about to cry again but with joy. After the match, Gurbanov explained the effect of a week between the two games on the striker: "He has grown a lot. It will even grow bigger in the future. If a person is responsible, he has more chances to grow. We all witnessed Nariman's tears after the first match on the trip. He always worked on himself in training, never left the base. Allah rewarded him. I believe that this will be sustainable."
This is not Nariman's first goal of such historical importance, which also hinders the extension of the game. Just two months ago, the striker scored another historic goal in the history of Azerbaijani football.
The author of the only goal in the first match held in Khankendi in the history of independent Azerbaijan decided the fate of the match between Qarabag and MOIK. The goal in the 90th + 5th minute did not allow the match to go to extra time and increase the possibility of a penalty series. The author of the first goal scored in Khankendi, after scoring, called out to the cameras and said, "Historical game, another historic goal."
The ball hit to the representative of Portugal is Nariman's first goal in European Cups. The player, who opened his account in his 11th match, scored for the 7th time in the Qarabag team. The forward who reached the lucky number made tens of thousands of fans happy. In the current season, he scored 4 goals in the Premier League and 2 goals in the cup.
Vugar Kheyrullayev
Idman.biz
