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Azerbaijani club Sabah, founded nine years ago, qualified for the UEFA Champions League league phase for the first time in its history after eliminating Israeli side Hapoel Beer Sheva in the playoff round.
Sabah, champions of the Azerbaijan Premier League last season, lost the first leg 2-1 away to Hapoel Beer Sheva. In the return leg in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, Sabah scored in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time to lead 3-2 and send the match to extra time.
Hapoel Beer Sheva played extra time with nine men and conceded two more goals as Sabah won the second leg 5-2, advancing 6-4 on aggregate.
Under Lithuanian coach Valdas Dambrauskas, Sabah went through four rounds to reach the league phase.
The club eliminated Welsh side New Saints in the first round, Finnish club Kuopio in the second round and Danish side Aarhus in the third round before defeating Hapoel Beer Sheva in the playoff.
Sabah becomes the second Azerbaijani club to reach the Champions League league phase after Qarabag, which first advanced to the group stage in the 2017-2018 season and reached the league phase again last season.
Sabah won the Azerbaijan Premier League title last season and has won the Azerbaijan Cup for the past two seasons. In its nine-year history, the club has collected three trophies: one league title and two Azerbaijan Cups.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev issued a congratulatory statement following Sabah's qualification, wishing the club "new victories and successes" in upcoming matches.
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