Azerbaijan champion Qarabag played their first match in the Europa League round of 16 final stage.
Gurban Gurbanov's team hosted Bayer, as Idman.biz reports.
The match of the leaders of the Azerbaijan Premier League and the German Bundesliga took place at the Tofig Bahramov Republican Stadium. There were no winner in the match held in front of full stands - 2:2.
Someone broke the treak
The difference between the championships of the two countries and the fact that Bayer is in excellent form at the moment are the reasons why the German team were considered as clear favorites. Leverkusen club, which did not lose in the current season, did not have mercy on any club in the Europa League. Having won all 6 matches, Werkself came to Baku with the desire to continue the series. However, Qarabag, which has achieved countless firsts and historic results in the European Cups, broke the unbeaten streak of Bayer. In the group, the representative of the Bundesliga, who defeated Häcken 4:0 and 2:0, Molde 2:1 and 5:1, Aghdam club 5:1 and 1:0, experienced his first stumble in Baku.
Germans saved the record series in the end
Bayer, whose winning streak in the Europa League was broken, did not lose in 34 matches played in all tournaments this season. The guests came to our country with the desire to extend this series to 35. The Germans got their wish in the end, in extra time. But Bayer and all its fans lived with the fear that the record series would be broken until the 90th + 2nd minute. The goals scored by Yassin Benzia and Olavio Juninho in the first 45 minutes brought the Leverkusen representative to a "knockdown". Bayer who has been spoiled by giant rivals like Bayern and Borussia clearly felt the power of Qarabag. The Germans found a chance to recover only in the second half of the second half.
The strength of Qarabag without wings and defense
Of course, someone can argue that Bayer played without some stars in the first 45 minutes. This is not unreasonable. The guests played several leading players only in the second half. Yes, the leader of the Bundesliga was scrambling to avoid defeat in the meeting in Baku. These efforts paid off. The fact that Qarabag did not play with the ideal team also played a role in the fact that Azerbaijan champion missed the chance to defeat the invincible opponent. Although Bayer rests several players, it is a team with enough stars to replace those players. Julio Romao and Elvin Jafarguliyev were suspended and Qarabag had a weaker team compared to the opponent. First, the substitutes in the German giant are also players who can be considered stars. Secondly, the guests, like after the two "slap" from Qarabag, put those stars into fight. Our champion will be able to bring Julio Romao, the support of the center, and Elvin Jafarguliyev, who has a wing - only in Leverkusen, in front of Bayer Leverkusen.
Gurbanov surpassed Alonso
Head coach Gurban Gurbanov had a big role at Qarabag giving difficult moments to the leader of the Bundesliga. The experienced specialist has also surpassed in tactics the coach like Xabi Alonso, who is currently the most desired in the world and is in the interest of most giants. Gurbanov, who prefers to build fast and more decisive attacks against Bayer, which has a great advantage in controlling the ball, got his wish to a large extent. Our team created more real goal situations than the opponent. If Olavio Juninho took advantage of one of the two-goal episodes in the second half, there would no longer be anything called Bayer and the unbeaten streak. Creating so many scoring opportunities in a match with such a strong opponent should be considered a correctly chosen tactic, the result of overcoming the opponent's coach. Of course, it is possible to emphasize the possibility of Bayer entering the field relatively confidently. But it should be taken into account that even after waking up from the cold shower by two goals, Alonso's team had difficulty in creating a scoring situation despite controlling the ball.
Unstoppable Qarabag
Qarabag, which has won everyone's sympathy in Europe with its well-groomed and beautiful game, also stood out for their productivity. Gurbanov's team scored at least 2 goals in the last 5 games. After Molde (2:2), Häcken (2:1) and Braga (4:2, 2:3), Bayer also saw what the Aghdam club is capable of on the front line. Before coming to Baku, the Germans, who conceded only 24 balls in 34 matches of the season, could not stop the scoring streak of our representative. This series, which started after the match in the group with Bayer (0:1), should continue in Leverkusen. Such a game in the front line of Qarabag has led to the attention of its players in Europe. Olavio Juninho, who scored a goal and an assist in the match against Bayer, was among the 4 candidates for the player of the week. This is not the first such case. It has already become common for the players of Qarabag to be among the contenders for the best name and to be in symbolic teams.
It should be noted that the return match between Qarabag and Bayer will be held on March 14 in Leverkusen.
Vugar Kheyrullayev
Idman.biz
