Sabah faced Norwegian side Viking in the league phase of the UEFA Champions League yesterday. The match ended in a 4–1 win for Viking.
We contacted former Azerbaijan national team coach Vaqif Sadiqov to ask for his thoughts on the match.
He told Fanat.az:
“Sabah did not start the match badly. Speaking before the game, I said that an early goal for our team would force the hosts to attack and greatly increase Sabah’s chances on the counter. That would give us the opportunity to get the result we wanted.
Sabah fell victim to their defence. After taking the lead, our team could not hold on to their advantage, and a positional error by the centre-back allowed hosts Viking to equalise.
The turning point in the game and individual errors led to this defeat. Sabah started the second half well, but their opponents took the lead through a penalty awarded against them. Aidan McCarthy’s dismissal for a straight red card completely broke the team’s resistance. Even then, Sabah refused to let their heads drop and fought until the end. However, Viking held on to their advantage and secured the win.
The main thing is that this is a learning experience, and Sabah have delighted us all this season by achieving what have, in many ways, been a series of firsts in the Champions League. We must make the most of this experience and keep moving forward.
We have some very difficult matches against strong opponents ahead, and in every game we want to see the Sabah spirit and determination they showed before — a team representing us that never stops competing, regardless of the situation.”
Alisahib Ibrahimli
This article was translated from Azerbaijani with the help of AI. Original in Azerbaijani
