Another “Mr. Zwei-Drei” of Azerbaijani football Germany won’t forget Gurban Gurbanov

“I’ve seen it all now”—that was the first thought crossing referee Sandro Schärer’s mind after the final whistle of the seventh-round UEFA Champions League group stage match between Qarabağ and Eintracht Frankfurt. That “all” included, notably, the look on Schärer’s face at the final whistle: pure frustration, as he had been unable to stop Qarabağ’s unstoppable charge into the top 24 of Europe following this dramatic victory.

The match showcased the team’s relentless determination despite clearly one-sided refereeing decisions. Qarabağ players gave everything on the pitch, leaving everything behind, with Bahlul Mustafazade scoring the decisive goal in the final seconds of a thrilling encounter reminiscent of a basketball game, where last-second shots often determine the outcome.

Head coach Gurban Gurbanov echoed this sentiment at the post-match press conference, saying that Bahlul can now be forgiven for all his mistakes—not just in this match, but across all his previous appearances for Qarabağ.

What a performance by Camilo Durán! The Colombian midfielder, who less than a year ago was languishing in Portugal’s second division with Portimonense, is now lighting up the UEFA Champions League and was officially named man of the match in yesterday’s thrilling encounter.

Gurban Gurbanov’s side triumphed 3-2 despite the efforts of referee Sandro Schärer, whose bias was so apparent that the Azerbaijani president even referenced it in his congratulatory message:

"Despite the unfair and biased decisions of the referee, justice prevailed. This is not the first time that referees appointed by UEFA have attempted to block Qarabağ’s path to victory with unfair and biased decisions. I hope UEFA will clarify who appointed this referee. It is impossible to defeat justice and an unbreakable spirit. Long live Qarabağ!"

Faith in Qarabağ’s victory remained unshakable until the very last second. Nearly 30,000 fans stayed in the stadium until the final whistle—a rare sight even at matches involving Europe’s elite clubs—and the stadium erupted in joyous celebration as Bahlul Mustafazade’s decisive goal found the net.

And if in the past we celebrated the Champions League triumphs of Barcelona or Real Madrid, enjoying the goals of their star players, now our heroes are the footballers of OUR TEAM—players who have made us believe that miracles can happen, no matter who you face, where the match is played, or what the conditions are—even if the “opponents” in these games fail to respect neutrality.

The key is to have the status of someone who believes in the victory of their team. The key is to have players who cannot be broken. And then “Mr. Zwei-Drei” will appear again. If sixty years ago it was the legendary Tofiq Bahramov, today it is the charismatic Gurban Gurbanov. I think the new generation of German fans will not soon forget the name of Qarabağ’s head coach. Wouldn’t you agree, gentlemen?

Note: “Mr. Zwei-Drei” is a nickname given to Tofiq Bahramov, the Azerbaijani referee, famously remembered in Germany for his decisive role in the 1966 World Cup final.

By Vugar Vugarli, specially for Caliber.Az