FC Qarabag reaches 1/8 finals of UEFA Europa League

FC Qarabag has reached the 1/8 finals of the Europa League, Azernews reports.

The national team faced the Portuguese club Braga at Tofig Bahramov Republic Stadium in a return match.

The game ended in a 3-2 defeat for FC Qarabag. Goals were scored by Roger Fernandes (71st minute), Alvaro Djalo (83rd minute), Mateus Silva (102nd minute), Banza (115th minute, penalty), and Nariman Akhundzade (120+2nd minute).

Despite this loss, FC Qarabag, who had previously won 4-2 in Portugal, secured a 6-5 aggregate victory over the two legs, advancing to the Round of 16.

Recall that FC Qarabag defeated Braga in the first playoff match held on February 15 with a 4:2 score.

The UEFA Europa League is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs.

It is the second-tier competition of European club football, ranking below the UEFA Champions League and above the UEFA Europa Conference League.

Qarabag FC was a founding member of the Azerbaijan Premier League in 1992. One season later, it won their first league championship, becoming the first non-Baku-based club to win the Premier League title.

In 2017, Qarabag FC became the first Azerbaijani club to qualify for the group stages of the UEFA Champions League after beating Danish club Copenhagen and drawing in Group C alongside Chelsea, Atletico Madrid, and Roma.