Terrifying comeback in Baku: Sabah thrash Danish club 4-0

Azerbaijan’s Sabah secured a resounding and spectacular victory over Denmark’s Aarhus in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round. In Baku, the hosts scored four unanswered goals to reach the play-off round of Europe’s most prestigious club competition. Uzbek talented midfielder Umarali Rahmonaliyev played the full 90 minutes in this historic match.

After two legs (the Danes had won the first match 2-1), Sabah triumphed 5-2 on aggregate and moved to the threshold of the UEFA Champions League league phase.

A comeback in Baku and a second-half show

After losing the first leg in Denmark (1-2), Sabah’s thorough preparation for the home match was evident from the opening minutes. The first half was evenly contested and ended goalless, but in the second half the Baku club completely overwhelmed its opponents.

• 59th minute: Simic opened the scoring — 1-0;

• 67th minute: Solvet doubled the lead — 2-0;

• 78th minute: Mikels scored a third to complete the comeback — 3-0;

• 89th minute: Severina put the finishing touch on the match — 4-0.

Umarali Rahmonaliyev was highly active in midfield, showing strong tactical discipline in both defensive and attacking actions and making a valuable contribution to his team’s emphatic victory.

On the threshold of the UEFA Champions League league phase: Who will be the next opponent?

With this victory, Sabah advanced to the decisive UEFA Champions League play-off round. The Azerbaijani champions will now face the winner of the tie between Hapoel Be’er Sheva (Israel) and Crvena zvezda (Serbia) for a place in the main UEFA Champions League league phase.

Hapoel had won the first leg between the two teams 1-0.

Rahmonaliyev’s successful story at Sabah

Twenty-two-year-old Umarali Rahmonaliyev is steadily gaining experience on European pitches. The key stages in the career of the Bunyodkor academy graduate are as follows:

• 2023: He joined Russia’s Rubin Kazan from Tashkent club Bunyodkor as a free agent;

• January 2025: After failing to receive enough playing time at Rubin, he joined Sabah on loan. The Baku club later acquired his permanent transfer rights;

• Statistics and honours: Last season, Umarali made a total of 34 appearances in the Azerbaijan Premier League and Cup, scoring 6 goals and providing 2 assists .

To date, Rahmonaliyev has helped Sabah win the Azerbaijan Premier League title and become two-time Azerbaijan Cup winners while establishing his place in the league phase and European competitions.

Match report

UEFA Champions League — third qualifying round (second leg)

Sabah (Azerbaijan) – Aarhus (Denmark) — 4-0

(First leg: 1-2. Aggregate score: 5-2)

• Goals: Simic (59), Solvet (67), Mikels (78), Severina (89).

• Umarali Rahmonaliyev: Started the match and played the full 90 minutes.

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