Qarabag, the Azerbaijani champions, stumbled a bit in their domestic league this past weekend. They played to a 1-1 draw at home against Zira in Baku. This match was part of the fourth round of their season. It’s not exactly the kind of strong momentum you’d want when you’re about to face Benfica in the opening match of the Champions League league phase.
The visitors, Zira, actually got on the scoreboard first. Brazilian Ruan Renato converted a penalty kick in the 39th minute. Zira’s lineup included Portuguese goalkeeper Tiago Silva, who played the whole game, and Portuguese-Mozambican midfielder Ricardo Guima, who came into the match in the 63rd minute. However, Qarabag, led by coach Gurban Gurbanov, found a way to equalize late in the game. Brazilian Kady Borges, a forward who once played for Estoril Praia and Vilafranquense, scored the tying goal in the 82nd minute.
This draw meant Zira missed a golden opportunity to pull even with Araz for the league lead. They now sit in second place with eight points. Qarabag, who have won the national title four times in a row, are currently in fifth place. They are four points behind Zira, but they do have one game in hand. It shows that even the top teams can face challenges at home.
Despite these recent domestic hiccups, Qarabag is historically the most successful club in Azerbaijan, holding a remarkable 12 national championship titles. Their focus now completely shifts to Tuesday. That’s when they travel to face Benfica in what will be the first of eight matchdays in the Champions League league phase. Qarabag earned this prestigious spot by fighting through three difficult preliminary rounds. This marks only their second time reaching the main level of Europe’s top club competition, with their first appearance happening in the 2017/18 season. They’ve proven they can get here; now the real work begins.