CELJE, Slovenia – July 17
Azerbaijan’s Sabah FC has been eliminated from the UEFA Europa League, falling to Celje in the first qualifying round after a dramatic two-legged tie that ended in extra time.
The second leg, played at the Celje Stadium, ended in a 3-2 win for Sabah in regular time — mirroring the scoreline of the first leg in Baku. However, it was Celje who advanced thanks to an extra-time goal, making the aggregate 4-5 in favor of the Slovenian side.
Sabah’s Joy-Lance Mickels delivered a stunning performance, scoring a hat-trick with goals in the 9th, 63rd, and 64th minutes. But Franco Kovačević kept Celje in the game with goals in the 19th and 49th minutes. With the tie level on aggregate after 90 minutes, the match headed into extra time.
It was Nikita Iosifov who became the hero for Celje, scoring in the 108th minute to send his team through to the next round and end Sabah’s Europa League campaign.
Sabah’s European journey will now continue in the UEFA Conference League, where they will face Moldovan club Petrocub in the second qualifying round.
