Azerbaijani wrestler advances to European Championships semi-finals

Azerbaijani wrestler Haji Aliyev, 70 kg, defeated his Italian opponent Gianluca Talamo with a score of 12-1 at the European Wrestling Championships in Zagreb, Croatia on April 17.

On the first day of the championship, freestyle wrestlers came out on the mat, according to Azerisport.com.

Then Aliyev beat Kevin Henkel (Germany) 4-0 to reach the semi-finals.

Azerbaijan is represented by five athletes, including 3-time European champion Haji Aliyev (70 kg) and last year's EURO winner Magomedkhan Magomedov (97 kg).

Aliabbas Rzazade, weighing 57 kg, will start in the quarter-finals, where his opponent will be Horst Lehr (Germany).

Ali Rahimzade, 65 kg, beat Islam Dudayev of Albania 5-2 in the 1/8 final. His opponent will be Vazgen Tevanyan of Armenia.

Haji Aliyev, 70 kg, got off to a strong start, defeating Gianluca Talamo (Italy) 12-1. Haji then beat Kevin Henkel (Germany) 4-0 to reach the semi-finals.

Sabuhi Amiraslanov, 79 kg, beat Iman Mahdavi (UWW) 3-0 in the 1/8 finals. His opponent will be Vladimir Gamkrelidze (Georgia).

Mahammadkhan Mahammadov, 97 kg, soundly defeated Benjamin Honis of Italy 12-2 in the 1/8 final. His opponent for the quarterfinals will be Samuel Scherrer of Switzerland.