XX Round Preview: "Toothless" "Sabah", "Turan Tovuz" Showing Character, and...

The XX round in the Premier League concluded yesterday with two matches. In the reporting round, the home teams won in two of the 5 matches held. A "draw" was recorded in one game, while the guests added 3 points to their assets in two matches. So, how was the 20th game week remembered? "Shamakhi" – "Zira" 1:2 Ayxan Abbasov's team, which played with "Qarabag"'s nerves last week, managed to give "Zira" exciting moments as well. Although the home team managed to open the score in the first half, they could not maintain the lead until the end. Rashad Sadiqov's "eagles" psychologically "broke" the opponent by creating a balance between the scores seconds before the break. The representative of the Baku suburb, who distinguished himself once again in the second half, managed to maintain his position in the top "three" by returning with 3 points from a difficult trip. Although the home team lost, we would not be mistaken if we said that Abbasov's "lions" did not deserve to lose. It's just that luck was on Zira's side on Friday. If Arsen Aghajabayov had been able to hit the "frame" from a favorable position in the last seconds of the match, "Shamakhi" would have been able to write the first point in its assets in 2025. "Sabail" – "Kapaz" 1:0 Perhaps the most crucial match of the tour took place in Bayil. Two teams fighting a life-and-death battle to stay in the elite at "ASCO Arena" faced each other. Usually, in such meetings, the result is more important than a bright game, and we witnessed this once again. In the end of 90 minutes, "Sabail" was the winner. Cavid Huseynov's team overcame "Kapaz", even with a minimal score, and got rid of the last step. On Saturday, the game of the Ganja representative, to put it mildly, did not work out. The "yellow-blues", who were "toothless" in attack, had difficulty entering the penalty area of ​​the "sailors". By the way, the confident game of goalkeeper Alirza Mushtabazadeh in the home team should also be noted. It was the young goalkeeper who became one of the heroes of the game by saving his team from a real goal in at least two episodes. "Sabah" – "Sumgayit" 0:0 Those who went to "Bank Respublika Arena" on Saturday were probably very upset about the 90 minutes they lost. No goals were scored in the most boring match of the reporting tour. It was obvious from the first minutes that "Sumgayit" went to Masazir at least for a draw. Vagif Javadov and his team were more concerned with defense than attack and were not even eager to cross the center of the field. The "chemists", who preferred a closed game and were defended by 6-7 football players, finally achieved their goals and returned from the trip with one point. It is deplorable that "Sabah" cannot find a way to the goal of an average team with such attacking potential. Vasili Berezutski's "owls" have not been able to punish the opponent in the two official games they played in 2025, which proves what I said. In the match that took place a week ago, although the representative of the settlement invited "Neftchi" to the center of the field, the football player of the "white-blacks" was remembered for passing the ball into his own goal. "Araz-Nakhchivan" – "Neftchi" 2:1 When they lost to "Zira" last week, many said that Elmar Bakhshiyev's team was on the decline, and that "Araz-Nakhchivan" would soon be out of the top "three" due to the defeats recorded in the last 3 matches. However, by defeating "Neftchi" yesterday, the representative of Nakhchivan showed that it is too early to remove them from the list. With disciplined and compact game, the Nakhchivan people won the 3 points they deserved. As for the most established club in the country, although the names of the football players in the "white-blacks" team sound loudly, there is nothing in the name of the game. Samir Abasov cannot assemble "Neftchi". It is obvious that the capital club is suffering on the field. There is absolutely no point in talking about meaningful play... "Qarabag" – "Turan Tovuz" 1:2 It seems that in the current season, the westerners will remain a "left-handed" opponent for the Aghdam people. Qurban Qurbanov's team, which could not break the resistance of the Tovuz people in the previous two matches, left the field defeated this time as well. However, everyone who watched the 90 minutes can say that the "cavalry" were the ones dictating on the field. However, the problems in defense were clearly evident in the meeting with "Turan Tovuz". Otto John, who came on the field in the 65th minute, shocked the Aghdam people by finding his way to Shahruddin's goal from among 3 defenders of "Qarabag" in the last seconds. Kurban Berdyev's team, which fell behind in the score at the beginning of the match, but fought until the end without "breaking", deserves to be congratulated for showing character. If "Qarabag" does not eliminate the shortcomings in defense in a short time, they will still suffer many point losses.