AZE.US
Azerbaijan’s Neftchi opened their UEFA Conference League campaign with a dramatic 4-2 home defeat to Dinamo Minsk after surrendering a two-goal lead.
The first-leg match in the second qualifying round was played at Palms Sports Arena in Baku.
Neftchi made an explosive start. Captain Emin Mahmudov opened the scoring in the second minute, before Dinamo defender Aleksandr Selyava turned the ball into his own net six minutes later.
The Baku club appeared to be in full control at 2-0, but the momentum shifted before halftime.
Karen Vardanyan pulled one goal back for Dinamo in the 36th minute, giving the Belarusian side a path back into the match.
Dinamo equalized just two minutes after the restart through Yevgeny Malashevich. Vardanyan then scored his second goal in the 57th minute to put the visitors ahead for the first time.
Gulzhigit Alykulov completed the comeback in the 77th minute. Neftchi goalkeeper Rza Jafarov initially saved his penalty, but Alykulov reacted first and scored from the rebound.
The result leaves Neftchi facing a difficult task in the return leg on July 30.
The winner of the tie will advance to face either Serbia’s Zeleznicar or Portugal’s Braga in the next round.
For Neftchi, the defeat was especially painful because of how quickly the advantage disappeared. After leading 2-0 inside the opening eight minutes, the Azerbaijani club conceded four unanswered goals and ended the night with a two-goal deficit.
AZE.US