Sabah claim first-ever Champions League victory
Baku, October 14, AZERTAC
Azerbaijani champions Sabah secured a historic first-ever Champions League victory by beating Slavia Prague.
The competition debutants scored twice in the second half to seal the win on Tuesday.
Kaheem Parris, whose first-half strike was ruled out for offside following a video assistant referee (VAR) review, opened the scoring in the 49th minute. He latched onto Ivan Lepinjica’s cutback and finished first-time from the edge of the box.
Slavia came close to equalizing when Lukas Provod’s hooked effort was saved, before his follow-up header was cleared off the line by Sabah defender Akim Zedadka.
The visitors appealed for a penalty, prompting an extended VAR review. However, the officials determined that the ball had glanced off Zedadka’s chest before striking his arm.
Sabah sealed the victory late in the match through a bizarre goal by Joy-Lance Mickels.
Slavia goalkeeper Jakub Markovic came well off his line but miscontrolled the ball, allowing Mickels to take a weak shot from distance. The effort should have been cleared by Slavia defender David Moses, but the Nigerian defender stumbled over his own feet, allowing the ball to bobble into the net.
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