"The first half of the first match was a normal game for Sabah. They also had good attacks and pressing."
These words were said by former Azerbaijani national team player Mahmud Gurbanov in an interview with Sport24.az, Idman.biz reports.
The expert shared his thoughts on today’s first leg of the Europa League first qualifying round match in Slovenia between Sabah and Celje: "In the first half of the match in Baku, the visitors were not given many opportunities. They pressed the defenders, launched quick attacks, and scored goals. All of this was due to Sabah’s good performance. But in the second half, on the contrary, we saw the Slovenian club on the field. Sabah started facing their opponent mainly in defense."
According to Gurbanov, Sabah seemed to focus on quick counterattacks at that time: "But the opponent didn’t allow that. Although they are a Slovenian club, they play Spanish-style football. In the second half, they moved very comfortably through the midfield. As a result, they scored goals. Sabah also had two good chances but failed to capitalize. They couldn’t hit the target, and two minutes later, the visitors scored in the last moments and won."
He added that Celje is not a perfect team: "They played well in the second half, but they also had mistakes. Before the return match, chances are equal. Sabah can advance today. But they must show the level of play they had in the first half of the match in Baku. If they play like in the second half, it will be very difficult. I think there is a chance. The opponent is not unbeatable. They are on par with Sabah."
The Celje vs. Sabah match will start today at 22:00 Baku time. The visitors celebrated victory in the first match in Azerbaijan — 3:2.
Idman.biz
