Mind-blowing comeback by Qarabag! A sensation from Gurbanov’s warriors

It was unexpected, it was magnificent, it was spectacular! Aghdam’s Qarabag, under the guidance of Azerbaijani football icon Gurban Gurbanov, defeated a flagship of Portuguese football – Lisbon’s Benfica.

And not just anywhere, but right in Lisbon, in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League, no less. And not by a lucky strike, but through a phenomenal comeback, scoring three consecutive goals to overturn a 0-2 deficit within the first 15 minutes.

After the 15th minute, it seemed that the senior Qarabag squad might share the fate of their U-19 team, which had been crushed by Benfica’s youth just hours earlier, 7-1. Yet the senior side showed true character, becoming a living example for the youngsters of how to play with resilience and determination!

By the 30th minute, Leandro Andrade scored to pull one back, delivering a “cold shower” for the Portuguese side. Remarkably, he also made history for Cape Verdean football, becoming the first player from the island nation to score in the group stage of the Champions League!

But Benfica’s players, whose combined transfer value currently stands at €335.8 million, could do nothing – Gurban Gurbanov’s squad, with a market value roughly equal to that of Benfica’s goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin (€25 million), proved unstoppable!

Benfica’s defence, led by captain and World Cup winner, the legendary Argentine Nicolás Otamendi, repeatedly struggled to contain the piercing runs of Aghdam’s players. Early in the second half, Camilo Durán equalised. Then, as the completely bewildered Portuguese side desperately tried to respond, Oleksiy Kashchuk, who came on for the injured Marko Janković, scored in the 86th minute to make it 3-2 – sealing a sensational victory!

The Portuguese were so stunned that even the five minutes of added time could not help them. In the end, Qarabag claimed victory in their very first group stage match of the Champions League – marking the club’s first-ever win at this stage of the tournament!

And this victory was achieved despite the absence of major transfers and playing away from home! Qarabag once again amazed, stunned, and rewrote the history of Azerbaijani football—a football that lives, in many ways, thanks to this very club. And as the saying goes, one player alone is not a warrior. Every Qarabag player on the Lisbon pitch that evening proved himself a true warrior—a part of a united, fighting team!

A team that may concede a goal—or even two—but will never give up or surrender to the opponent, and will fight until the very end—for victory. Once again, we witnessed this in another match of Gurban Gurbanov’s fearless warriors!

By Vugar Vugarli, specially for Caliber.Az