Football in Azerbaijan is celebrating one of the most astonishing achievements in its history. Sabah have secured qualification for the Champions League group stage for the first time, completing a spectacular upset of Hapoel Be'er Sheva. After losing 2-1 in the first leg, the Azerbaijani team won 5-2 after extra time at the Bank Respublika Arena in Masazır, completely turning the match around and securing a place among the best teams in Europe.
The match seemed to be decided immediately in the home team's favor. After only ten minutes, Zlatanovic gave the Israelis the lead, further complicating Sabah's mission. The answer came, however, before the break, with Nwachukwu restoring the balance in the 38th minute. In the second half, Be'er Sheva took the lead again thanks to Mizrahi, who scored in the 61st minute, but Sabah did not stop believing and in the 74th minute found a new equalizer with Rakhmonaliyev.
Sabah debutants in the Champions League ? #UCL pic.twitter.com/cROayI7BsN
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 25, 2026
When the challenge seemed to be heading towards the elimination of the Azerbaijanis, the moment came that would change the history of the club. In the fourth minute of extra time, Mutallimov scored 3-2, tying the aggregate score and taking the match to extra time. In extra time, Be'er Sheva felt the blow and Sabah took advantage to complete the miracle: Mbina scored the fourth goal in the 101st minute, while Mickels finally closed the accounts in the 115th minute, fixing the score at 5-2.
Sabah Ascension: founded in 2017
The qualification takes on even greater significance when you consider Sabah's recent history. The club was founded in 2017 in Baku and in less than a decade has managed to transform itself from a struggling team to a national football star. The growth has been particularly rapid: from the second division, the club reached the elite of Azerbaijani football, gradually building a squad capable of competing at the highest levels.
The decisive step forward came in the 2025–26 season, when Sabah won its first national championship, ending Qarabağ's long-standing dominance. The championship success was complemented by two consecutive Azerbaijan Cups, results that confirmed the club's growth and its ability to establish itself sustainably at the highest levels of the country's football.
Behind the national trophies lies a European experience that has allowed Sabah to gain experience. The club had previously participated in the Conference League twice, but the Champions League represented a still distant objective: qualifying for the league stage thus comes as the high point of a project that began just nine years ago.
Sabah's long road through the qualifiers to its first appearance in the Champions League
Sabah's European adventure has not been easy at all: the Azerbaijani champions began their journey from the first qualifying round, facing a series of obstacles before reaching the decisive match against Hapoel Be'er Sheva.
The Baku team overcame The New Saints, KuPS and Aarhus, reaching the final match with a ticket to the league stage in play. A 2-1 loss in the first leg seemed to have complicated their plans, but the return match produced one of the most spectacular upsets in the club's recent history.
With a 5-2 victory after extra time, Sabah became only the second Azerbaijani team to reach the main stage of the Champions League after Qarabağ. A result that goes beyond a simple qualification: the club, born in 2017, appears for the first time on the most prestigious stage of European football after a rise that lasted only nine years.
August 25, 2026 will thus remain a symbolic date for Sabah. From the founding of the club to winning the national title, passing through domestic cups and the first European experiences, the Azerbaijani club has completed an extraordinary journey in a very short time. Now for Sabah comes the most prestigious challenge: facing the giants of Europe in the Champions League.
