UCL Debut: Sabah's historic victory and Rakhmonaliev's success

The new season of the UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds has kicked off on European pitches. Baku's Sabah, who won the Azerbaijan championship last season, made their debut in the continent's most prestigious tournament for the first time in their history. In the first leg of the first qualifying round, they hosted the Welsh side The New Saints. Zamin.uz presents the details of this historic encounter.

Intensity and goals in the second half

The first half of the match was quite balanced and competitive. Although both teams tried to find a way to the opponent's goal, they lacked precision in the final third. As a result, the scoreboard remained goalless until the break.

In the second half, the Baku side significantly increased the tempo, and it paid off:

• 66th minute: Veljko Simic opened the scoring after capitalizing on a beautiful assist from Tymoteusz Puchacz — 1:0.

• 84th minute: The hosts, who were in complete control of the game, scored a second goal. This time, Kaheem Parris put his name on the scoresheet, sealing his team's victory — 2:0.

The Welsh players were unable to offer any serious resistance to change the situation or score at least one consolation goal in the remaining minutes, leaving the pitch empty-handed.

Umarali Rakhmonaliev in the UEFA Champions League!

This match held special significance for Uzbek football fans. Another compatriot of ours took to the pitch in the new UEFA Champions League season.

The skilled midfielder, who is a candidate for the Uzbekistan national team, Umarali Rakhmonaliev was included in Sabah's starting lineup. He played actively for exactly one hour (60 minutes) and contributed to his team's victory.

Thus, Rakhmonaliev turned a new page in his career, joining the elite ranks of Uzbek players who have participated in the UEFA Champions League.

Match statistics summary

The Baku side started their debut with a successful and confident victory. Now, the Sabah players need to maintain this positive result in the return leg in Wales in a week to secure their place in the next round.