Qarabag, with a goal in added time from Nariman Akhundzade, qualified for the round of 16 of the Europa League and eliminated Braga, who won the match at the Tofiq Bahramo in Baku (2-3) but were victim of their defeat in Portugal in the first leg (2-4).
Qarabag made history and became the first Azerbaijani team to reach the round of 16 of a European competition.
Despite the setbacks, Qarabag advanced in the tournament. He had resisted until the 70th minute, but he accused the inferiority in which he was left at the hour mark, when Elvin Cafarquieliyev was sent off.
Braga did not take the lead until the 70th minute with a goal from Roger Fernandes and in the 83rd minute the Spaniard Alvaro Djalo tied the tie by scoring the second. The match went to extra time and Brazilian Matheus Silva closed the gap and restored hope to the Azeri team.
But in the second half of extra time, a foul inside the area by Bahlul Mustfazada against the Congolese Simon Banza resurrected the Portuguese team, who scored from a penalty, taken by Banza himself, and the score stood at 1-3.
When the outcome seemed doomed to shots from eleven meters, Akhundzade’s goal came in added time that qualified Qarabag for the first time for a European round of 16.
OCTAVE DRAW
Toulouse (FRA) 0 – BENFICA (POR) 0 (1-2)
Stade Rennes (FRA) 3 – MILAN (ITA) 2 (0-3)
FRIBURGO (ALE) 3 – Lens (FRA) 2 (0-0)
QARABAG (AZE) 2 – Braga (POR) 3 (4-2)
ROMA (ITA) 1 – Feyenoord (NED) 1 (1-1)
SPARTA PRAGUE (CZE) 4 – Galatasaray (TUR) 1 (2-3)
MARSELLA (FRA) 3 – Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) 1 (2-2)
SPORTING (POR) 1 – Young Boys (SUI) 1 (3-1)
(+): for penalties
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These eight winners of the qualifying rounds will complete the round of 16 matches in the draw scheduled for this Friday.
Benfica (POR), Milan (ITA), Freiburg (ALE), Qarabag (AZE), Sparta Prague (CZE), Marseille (FRA), Sporting (POR) and Roma (ITA) They join the eight clubs that entered directly by finishing first in each quartet in the group stage and who will start as seeds.
These are: Atalanta (ITA), Brighton (ENG), Leverkusen (GER), Liverpool (ING), Rangers (SCO), Slavia Praga (CZE), Villarreal (ESP) and West Ham (ING)
Each seed will be headed by one of the teams that passed the qualifying round on Thursday and will make up the round of 16 tie.
The round of 16 will be played round-trip and the seeded teams will play the second of the matches at home, in their stadium. Furthermore, in the draw, no team can face another team from the same national federation.
The round of 16 will be played on March 7, the first leg, and on March 14, the second leg.