QARABAQ STUMBLES AGAINST THE GERMANS

After reaching the playoffs of the Europa League for the third time in the last five years, Qarabag (Agdam) failed to surprise their visitors from Eintracht Frankfurt in the match in Baku. Azerbaijan's sole representative to reach this stage in European cups was unable to avoid defeat at the final stage before the group stage of the tournament.

Agdam fans were expecting more success from their team which had negotiated three stages of the Europa League without defeat, but apparently they forgot that their opponents were not Piast (Poland) or Gefle (Sweden), but a team from the German championship. What is more, the Qarabaq players seemed to have reconciled themselves to defeat even before the match. As soon as the match started, one had a distinct feeling they were worried about playing against a team from the Bundesliga and in front of the 30,000 spectators who filled the stadium. And so Qarabaq conceded a goal after only six minutes: after what seemed an innocuous attack Meier scored with an accurate shot. Qarabaq could not settle down in the first half and failed to have a single shot on the Eintracht goal.

However, Agdam's trainer Qurban Qurbanov was able to get the team together and it was quite a different Qarabaq that played in the second half. Stepping up the pressure, Qarabaq were able to pin the visitors in their own half with one attack after another and creating several goalscoring opportunities. But the final ball let them down and Eintracht's defenders coolly cleared up the danger.

It looked like a goal was coming but when it did it was Qarabag who conceded it. Following a dangerous counter-attack by the visitors Qarabag's defence again left Meier free and he shot neatly into the far corner. The goal failed to break the home team and they surged forward in an attempt to reduce the arrears. Vuqar Nadirov, who came on as a sub, went clear but struck the bar, and so the final whistle came with Qarabaq losing 0-2.

Qurban Qurbanov should not be blamed for the defeat as there were many reasons for their failure. Qarabaq have had a fairly tough schedule with matches every three days in which they have given a good account of themselves. And it is absurd to compare the standards of the Azerbaijani and German championships. Although Eintracht are not one of the top teams in Germany, their overall value on the transfer market is 75m euros, compared with Qarabaq's 7m.

The most important thing is one should not forget the level of skill of the players. Some people believe that Qarabaq did not play as well as they have done, but then their opponents were of a different standard. At the same time, Qarabaq's performance in the current European tournament is worthy of praise - the team gave us pleasure with their victories over Metallurg, Piast and Gefle, and even in the Eintracht match the team put up a good show.

After the match Qurbanov said he didn't notice any particular mistakes in the team's performance. "We did our best, but you have to remember their opponents are a very strong side. In any case, this is good experience for us and it is good to see such teams in Azerbaijan. We conceded a goal in an area we have worked on in training. I have never been so disappointed. But put the Azerbaijani championship and the Bundesliga next to one another and everything is clear. They are used to playing in front of 60-70,000 fans," Qarabaq's coach said.

Eintracht's manager Armin Veh was full of praise for Qarabaq and its fans. "We played against a good side. Qarabaq had a number of chances. We trained very hard and the early goal helped. In the return match we shall go on the attack again and try to improve on our two-goal advantage. The fans gave us good support. In the second half I felt that a plane was going to land on the pitch," he said, stressing that his team were able to contain Rasad Sadigov.

Eintracht's president, Peter Fischer, also made some interesting comments. He said this was the third time he had visited Baku since 2006 and had never seen such a rapidly developing and beautiful city. "I am aware that Qarabaq represents Agdam District and the game should have been played in Qarabaq and not Baku. But Qarabaq is currently under Armenian occupation and so this situation meant our opponents could not receive us at home. That is not a desirable situation," Fischer said, pointing out Qarabaq's high standard.

Qarabaq captain Rasad Sadigov says his team lost because they lost control of the ball: "We are a team that likes to play with the ball. But our opponents put pressure on us, began to control the ball and wrecked all our plans. You have to acknowledge the difference in standards - their championship is much stronger."