Qarabag etched their name into football history with a sensational comeback against Benfica, becoming the first Azerbaijani club to win a UEFA Champions League main draw match.
Playing in Europe’s top competition for the first time in eight years, Gurban Gurbanov’s men endured a nightmare start in Lisbon, Idman.biz reports.
Benfica stormed into a 2-0 lead inside 16 minutes, with Enzo Barrenechea and Vangelis Pavlidis punishing Qarabag’s early mistakes.
But the visitors refused to collapse. Leandro Andrade halved the deficit on the half-hour mark with a composed finish, and Kady Borges came close to equalising when his strike rattled the post.
Three minutes after the interval, Marko Jankovic split Benfica’s defence with a superb pass to Camilo Duran, who calmly slotted home on his Champions League debut.
The decisive moment came five minutes from time when substitute Oleksii Kashchuk turned brilliantly inside the box before firing past the keeper to complete the comeback.
At the final whistle, Qarabag players and staff dropped to their knees in disbelief and celebration. Their previous Champions League campaign had ended with two draws and four defeats, but this victory in Lisbon will be remembered as a landmark moment for Azerbaijani football.
Next, Qarabag host Copenhagen in Baku, while Benfica travel to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea.
Baş hakim: Erik Lambrexts (Belçika)
Idman.biz
