Karabakh stunned by CSKA Sofia as Kochalski misses out

Karabakh Agdam’s hopes of reaching the Europa League took a major hit after the Azerbaijani side were knocked out by CSKA Sofia on penalties, with Polish goalkeeper Mateusz Kochalski unable to make the intervention that might have changed the tie.

A favourite falls short

Karabakh went into the second qualifying round as the clear favourite, but the tie never developed as expected. After a goalless first leg at home, the return match also failed to produce a breakthrough, even though the Azerbaijani side controlled long stretches of the game.

They finished with 62 per cent possession and registered more shots on target than their Bulgarian opponents, yet neither normal time nor extra time brought the goal they needed. That left the contest to be decided from the spot.

It was a moment that appeared to offer Kochalski the chance to become the central figure. The Polish goalkeeper had previously saved eight penalties in his career, but this time he could not stop any of CSKA Sofia’s attempts. When Matheus Silva missed for Karabakh, the tie was gone and CSKA advanced to the third qualifying round of the Europa League.

A sharp drop after last season’s high

The result is a significant setback for a club that made a strong impression in Europe last season. Karabakh reached the league phase of the Champions League and produced notable wins, including away to Benfica and at home to Eintracht Frankfurt, before their run was ended in the play-offs for a place in the last 16 by Newcastle United.

This season, however, there had already been signs that repeating that level would be difficult. Karabakh unexpectedly lost the Azerbaijani league title to Sabah Baku, which meant their European route was altered from the outset.

They had opened this campaign smoothly enough by beating Icelandic side Vestri in the first qualifying round, winning both legs 3-0. But the meeting with CSKA Sofia proved a very different test and ended in what will be viewed as one of the early surprises of the qualifying rounds.

Conference League now the only route

Karabakh are still alive in Europe, but only in the Conference League qualifiers. Their next challenge looks even tougher on paper, with Dynamo Kyiv waiting in the third qualifying round.

The defeat also carried broader significance. According to azerisport.com, this is Karabakh’s earliest exit in qualifying for competitions other than the Champions League since 2014. Since the 2014/15 season, they had always reached either a group stage or league phase in Europe.

A brutal night for Azerbaijani clubs

Karabakh’s elimination was part of a miserable evening for Azerbaijani football. Azerisport.com described it as a “Day of European Defeats”, and the label was justified by results elsewhere.

• Zira were knocked out in the second qualifying round of the Conference League by Estonia’s Paide Linnameeskond.
• Neftchi Baku also exited after losing their tie with Dinamo Minsk.
• Sabah Baku remain in Champions League qualifying and are already assured of at least the Conference League league phase.

That leaves Karabakh with work to do if they are to preserve their recent European presence. For Kochalski and his team-mates, the immediate frustration will be that this was a tie they were expected to win, but one that slipped away when it mattered most.