Azerbaijani champions Sabah Baku suffered a 2-1 defeat against Israeli side Hapoel Beer Sheva in the first leg of their Champions League fourth qualifying round tie in Bucharest on Wednesday evening.
Sabah head coach Valdas Dambrauskas named Polish international Tymoteusz Puchacz in his starting lineup, and the visiting side made a bright start by taking the lead in the sixth minute. Serbian striker Veljko Simic directed the ball into the net following a cross from Puchacz, marking the left-back's fourth assist of this season's Champions League qualifying campaign.
Hapoel Beer Sheva restored parity before the interval when forward Javon East converted from close range in the 43rd minute, ensuring the teams went into half-time tied at 1-1.
The Israeli side completed their comeback in the 79th minute when Igor Zlatanovic struck the winning goal. His shot took an unfortunate deflection off Puchacz's leg on its way past the goalkeeper, leaving Sabah with a narrow deficit to overturn.
Neutral venue and qualifying path
Hapoel Beer Sheva hosted the fixture at a neutral venue in Bucharest, Romania, as Israeli football clubs continue to play their designated home European matches outside their home nation. The Israeli club reached the fourth qualifying round after securing a surprise victory in the previous stage against Serbian side Crvena zvezda Belgrade, advancing with 1-0 and 2-0 wins across two legs.
Sabah Baku booked their place in the final qualifying round after eliminating Danish club Aarhus in the third stage. Aarhus had earlier advanced by knocking out Polish Ekstraklasa side Lech Poznan in the second qualifying round, progressing despite Lech holding a three-goal advantage following a 4-1 victory in the first leg in Denmark.
European record and second leg schedule
The match held personal significance for Puchacz, who is bidding to reach the elite stage of Europe's premier club competition for the first time in his career. Although the defender has never featured in the Champions League group phase or newly expanded league phase, he previously gained European experience in both the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League during spells with Lech Poznan and German Bundesliga club Union Berlin.
Sabah Baku will attempt to overturn the one-goal deficit when they face Hapoel Beer Sheva in the return leg on Tuesday, August 25. The decisive second leg is scheduled to kick off at 18:45 local time.
