Azerbaijan is shaking with football fever - Qarabag is emerging from the shadow of a big underdog and is close to the 1/16 finals of the Champions League. The Montenegrin midfielder contributed significantly to the incredible success Marko Jankovic, whose perfect pass was crucial for his team to equalize against Eintracht in Baku, and in the final attack to win - 3:2.
OPTA, which deals with football statistics, ahead of the final round in which Qarabag will host Liverpool at Anfield Gurbana Gurbanova gives them a 99,7 percent chance of qualifying for the playoffs. A fantastic achievement, especially considering that the Azerbaijani champion's chances before the start of the competition were only 12,5 percent.
Qarabag welcomed Eintracht in 25th place, just below the play-off spot. After the triumph, Janković and his teammates are in 17th place with 10 points. That's more than Bayer, Napoli, Monaco, PSV, Athletic Bilbao...
99,7
Qarabag's chances of qualifying for the knockout stages of the Champions League before the final round are 100 percent, calculated by Opta, which deals with football statistics.
With three wins (Benfica, FC Copenhagen, Eintracht), but also a draw with Chelsea, Qarabag deserved to continue in the competition. Especially since it was the first time in history that a German club won. They had previously failed to do so against Bayer, Dortmund and Freiburg.
Last season, even 11 points were not enough to advance to the knockout stage, but now it seems that 10 points will be quite enough for Qarabag.
"It was magnificent. We won in the last minute, practically in the last second... It was very difficult, we gave it our all and in the end we deserved to celebrate. The most important thing is that we never gave up - we all worked as a single unit," said Janković's midfield teammate, Abdellah Zubir.
Coach Gurban Gurbanov (many remember him - he scored both goals for the Serbia and Montenegro national team against Gorica in 2003 in a then sensational 2:2 draw) was delighted.
"I want to thank our fans. This victory belongs to them. We played with discipline and fighting spirit until the very end - it was great to see that kind of character on the pitch. Every player gave their all. We travel to Liverpool with great confidence. It will be difficult, but I will ask the players to repeat the level of play and fighting spirit we showed against Eintracht."
There is such football euphoria in Azerbaijan that even the president of the country has spoken out, Ilham Aliyev.
He lashed out at the Swiss referee on Instagram Sandra Scherer.
“Despite the referee's unfair and biased decisions, justice prevailed. This is not the first time that referees appointed by UEFA have tried to block Qarabag on their way to victory. I hope UEFA will clarify who appointed this referee. Justice and an unwavering spirit are invincible.”
Gurbanov thanked him:
“Thank you to President Aliyev for his support and comments - especially regarding the trial, where he expressed his position.”
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