Qarabag FC keeps knockout chance after draw in France

/AzerNews/

By Mushvig Mehdiyev

Azerbaijan's Qarabag FC arrived in France to lock horns with the French St Etienne within the UEFA Europa League group stage on November 27.

It was the fifth game of the Azerbaijani football club, which joined the influential continental tournament for the first time in its history.

The game between Qarabag FC and St Etienne ended 1-1 on the scoreboard. The draw allowed both clubs to battle for the knockout phase.

Qarabag FC's midfielder Vuqar Nadirov put the Azerbaijani team ahead with a brilliant shoot in the 15th minute of the game, but St Etienne's Ricky van Wolfswinkel scored an equalizer six minutes later to thrill up the host's fans.

The result showed a green light to both sides, giving them a chance to enter the knockout stage by winning their next games. Qarabag FC will host the Italian FC Internazionale on December 11, while St Etienne will face the Ukrainian Dnipro.

Qarabag FC's manager Gurban Gurbanov said the result was good despite the tense game. "We took care of defense more than attack. The result is advantageous, as we managed to gain a point. Anyway, we should forget this game and focus on the next match with the FC Internazionale," Gurbanov noted.

FC Internazionale tops the Group F with 11 points and has already entered the knockout stage. Qarabag FC owns 5 point and is the group's runner-up. St Etienne is the group's third team with 5 points, while Dnipro's 4 points have turned them into an outsider of the group.