Azerbaijan’s Sabah FK Baku beat Israel’s Be’er Sheva 5-2 after extra time in the second leg of the Champions League play-offs and, after losing the first leg 2-1, qualify for the league phase of Europe’s premier club competition. Sabah usually play at the Bank Respublika Arena in Masazır, a small stadium with a capacity of 13,000, but today’s match took place at the Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium in Baku in front of 30,000 spectators.
Be’er Sheva start well and go ahead after ten minutes through Zlatanovic, but Nwachukwu levels it at the end of the first half. Mizrahi restores the visitors’ lead in the 61st minute, then the home side hit back again in the 74th through Rakhmonaliyev. Then came the blow for the visitors: with time up, Mutallimov scored the goal that put his side ahead and sent the two teams into extra time. Be’er Sheva collapsed there and the Azerbaijanis made them pay through Mbina and Mickels to seal a 5-2 win.
