Idman.biz
"Qarabag" is advancing towards the main stage of the UEFA Champions League.
If the Azerbaijani champion successfully passes the "Shkendija" barrier, which they won 1:0 in Skopje, their next opponent will be one of their old acquaintances. In the last three years, they have managed to eliminate both "Ferencvaros" and "Ludogorets" - and even though they did not manage to cope with them at home, they won confident victories away (3:1, 7:2 respectively). Have the rivals drawn conclusions from the "football lesson" they once received?
"Qarabag", which won its third consecutive victory in European Cups this season, is not strong enough for the North Macedonian representative to cause major problems. Our champion has proven this in games with teams such as "Metalurg Skopje" (1:1, 5:2, 1:0, 2:0) and "Sileks" (4:0).
As for "Shkendija", although the number of shots on goal during the game recorded a 7-6 advantage for the home team, goal chances were hardly created in front of the visitors' goal.
Although the opponent's players were technical, their lack of European experience was clearly felt. In particular, it was commendable that the Jamaican Ronaldo Webster, who played as a flank defender and attracted attention with his name, unlike the number 11 jersey he wore, dribbled past several "Qarabag" players in the center of the field in the first half.
"Shkendija"'s most experienced football player, Besart Ibraimi, has scored a total of 29 goals in European Cups, while no one in "Qarabag" has been able to show such productivity so far. But it would be naive to expect the previous performance from the striker, who is approaching the age of 39.
Although "Qarabag", who controlled the game for 90 minutes, did not create enough goal chances, they were able to easily achieve the desired result. The return of Marko Jankovic, the beating heart of the team, after recovering from his injury is one of the positive aspects.
Brazilian midfielder Pedro Bicallo, who took a place in the starting lineup from the new transfers, has so far lived up to expectations, so head coach Gurban Gurbanov has relied on him in all three games this season. In the second half, the Ivorian midfielder Chris Kuaku was also given a chance. Moroccan central defender Sami Mmaee and Brazilian right-back Dani Bolt from the new players remained in reserve. The newest transfer - Spanish midfielder Xhoni Montiel - was not included in the application for games with "Shkendija" at all.
As a negative aspect, it is possible to note the "toothlessness" of Leandro Andrade, the top scorer of the past season. A team that relies on Nariman Akhundzade in attack will not be able to "do anything" in the Champions League.
Kadi is also far from his previous form and often made mistakes. But Gurban Gurbanov says that "we should not discuss this today, because we must also take into account the strength of the opponent." However, the head coach admits: "He may have made a weak impression in some episodes." He also explains the reason: "The opposing defenders paid more attention to him. No player can play at the same level for 90 minutes."
This is a brief summary of Gurban Gurbanov's thoughts on the first game and the return match: "Winning away was very important. Although we made many mistakes during the game, we were able to achieve the necessary result in the end. We must play more carefully against "Shkendija" in Baku. Because we have a team in front of us that doesn't like to lose."
There is still, as they say, one and a half stages ahead. "Qarabag" is close to participating in the main stage of the Champions League for the first time since 2017. But it won't be easy there with the current squad...
Rasim Movsumzade
Idman.biz
