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The defeat was entirely expected. The opponent was, after all, Liverpool. The main thing is that we qualified for the play-offs in 22nd place. The draw will take place on January 30th. It seems we will face either PSG or Newcastle. If we win with some miracle, Barcelona or the familiar Chelsea will be our next opponent.
In any case, realistically, it was clear from the beginning that we wouldn't be able to advance directly to the 1/8 finals.
What else can be noted? Benfica's miracle in the last seconds, defeating Real Madrid and rising to 24th place. If Benfica hadn't scored their fourth goal, Marseille could have been 24th. But Benfica scored, and goalkeeper Trubin managed it!
By the way, five of Qarabag's eight group stage opponents (Copenhagen, Athletic Bilbao, Eintracht Frankfurt, Ajax and Napoli) were eliminated from the tournament, Benfica advanced to the play-offs, and only Chelsea and Liverpool qualified directly for the 1/8 finals.
It should be noted that the English clubs caused a great stir - five of the top eight clubs in the tournament table (Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester City) are English. Only Newcastle qualified for the play-offs, while the aforementioned teams advanced directly to the 1/8 finals.
Meanwhile, Qarabag will play in the play-offs together with Real Madrid, PSG, Atletico, Juventus and Inter... so it will be interesting. Fun and exciting...
Hamid Hamidov
