The key facts
- Sabah beat Slavia 2:0 in the second round of the Champions League — the club's first win in the league phase
- Rahmonaliev: 58 touches, two shots on target, xG 0.29, xA 0.47, 12.71 km — the most on the pitch (ESPN)
- Goals: Parris (49th minute) and Mickels (88th); in the first half Parris's goal was disallowed after VAR due to offside
Sabah beat Slavia in the Champions League
Azerbaijani football club Sabah defeated Czech Slavia 2:0 in the second round of the league phase of the UEFA Champions League for the 2026/2027 season. Uzbekistan national team midfielder Umarali Rahmonaliev played for the Azerbaijani club. In the first round, Sabah lost to English Manchester United, so this victory became the team's first in the league phase of the tournament.
Course of the match
In the first half, the hosts put the ball into the net, but Kahim Parris's goal was disallowed after a VAR check due to offside. Slavia created several dangerous chances, but Sabah goalkeeper Stas Pokatilov kept a clean sheet. The teams went into the break at 0:0. In the 49th minute, Sabah opened the scoring: Croatian midfielder Hrvoje Lepinica delivered from the left flank, after which Parris scored. In the 88th minute, Joy-Lance Mickels doubled the lead — after Slavia goalkeeper Markovic's unsuccessful run out of the penalty area, the Sabah player gained possession of the ball and struck from long range into an empty net.
Rahmonaliev's statistics
According to ESPN, Rahmonaliev made 58 touches of the ball and took two shots, both on target. His expected goals (xG) figure was 0.29, expected assists (xA) — 0.47. He also made five interceptions, took part in eight duels and covered the greatest distance of all players on the pitch — 12.71 km (the nearest chaser covered 11.42 km). The Uzbekistani player did not register any goal contributions.
Other matches of the round
On October 13, eight more matches of the second round took place: Arsenal — Lille 3:0, Atletico — Manchester United 2:0, Inter — Club Brugge 3:4, Galatasaray — Barcelona 1:4, RB Leipzig — PSV 1:0, Viking — Bayern 3:3, Villarreal — Napoli 3:1, Lens — Sporting 0:2. The remaining nine matches of the round are scheduled for October 14.
Context
Sabah reached the Champions League league phase for the first time in August 2026, going through four qualifying rounds. In the return leg of the qualification playoff, the Azerbaijani club beat Israeli Apoel 5:2, and 6:4 on aggregate; one of the goals was scored by Rahmonaliev. The midfielder has been playing for Sabah since January 2025: first he moved from Kazan's Rubin on loan, and in January 2026 the transfer became permanent. Sabah's next match in the tournament will be on October 20 against Borussia Dortmund.
