Report.az
After losing to Bulgarian representative "Levski" in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League, the "Sabah" team must recover and improve in the next games.
Igor Ponomaryov, the sports director of the Baku club, stated this to "Report".
He assessed the "owls"' performance in European cups this season:
"If we look at the team's current European Cup season, we can see positive and negative shades. In the first game, we faced 'Cele', who played in the 1/4 finals of the Conference League last season. Although we lost 2:3 at home with a last-minute goal, we won with the same score away. The game went into extra time. The opponent passed the stage only with a goal scored in extra time. But in these two games, we fought head-to-head with an experienced and high-quality opponent. The team made a very confident impression in the matches with the Moldovan team 'Petrocub' in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League. Perhaps some may have the impression that 'Petrocub' is a weak opponent, but let's take into account that this team also participated in the league stage of the Conference League last season. The first game also showed the strength of the opponent. But the team showed character and managed to return from the away game with an important victory. In the home match, we won by a large score".
The functionary also touched upon the matches they lost to "Levski" the previous day:
"We had a very good first game in this pair. The opponent won only with a goal scored in the last seconds. In the game in Azerbaijan, first of all, I must note the wonderful atmosphere in the stadium. Thanks to the fans for this. Unfortunately, we could not please them with a victory and a ticket to the next stage. As for the game, I would not say that we lagged behind the opponent. Both teams had opportunities, but they took advantage of this opportunity better. The opponent was a team distinguished by a reliable defense line. The games they played in European cups this season also show this. They conceded only 2 goals in 6 matches, and these goals coincided with extra time. In other words, the opponent did not concede a goal in any match during 90 minutes in the current European Cup season. Moreover, they started the Bulgarian championship well - 4 games, 4 wins. Of course, despite all this, we could have passed the stage. We also had opportunities. But unfortunately, it didn't work out. These meetings are already in the past. Now the team must recover and improve in the next games".
It should be noted that "Sabah" stopped the fight by losing to "Levski" (0:1, 0:2) in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League.
