TWO STARS

The 2022/2023 season of the Azerbaijani Premier League has just finished. Garabagh effectively took the lead a few rounds earlier and won the gold medals with 91 points. It is the 18th title in the prominent club's history and its 10th win in national championships. The number of stars on Garabagh's logo has thus increased to two.

FC club Sabah became the silver medallist of the season with 81 points. It was established in 2017. This is its first medal of all time. Neftchi ranked the third (68 points), getting the bronze model of the championship.

Ramil Sheydaev of Garabagh was named the top scorer of the 2022/23 season. The 27-year-old striker scored 22 goals. He was nominated as the Premier League's top scorer for the first time.  In the history of Garabagh, it is the 8th time its player is recognised as the most productive player of the Azerbaijani championship.

Indeed, the the favourite of the championship, FC Garabagh, was stronger than its rivals. Every year experts consider the Aghdam club to be the main contender for the first place thanks to its many years of experience. The main secret of the team's success is the right choice of tactics, discipline and constant training. Although the club's roster is rotated from time to time, it confidently retains its status as a leader. Unfortunately, we have yet to see bright moments in the championship, as there are no teams capable of showing worthy resistance to the Agdamians and compete with them.

Sabah's successes, Neftchi's failures

We can say a lot of good things about the silver medallist of the tournament, FC Sabah. Head coach of the team, Murad Musayev, has contributed greatly to the club's success, forming a team that meets the necessary requirements and standards. He could assemble a team demonstrates an interesting performance in the championship. For instance, Sabah showed Garabagh that it was a serious contender. As a result, the team won silver medals for the first time in their history and now have the right to represent the country in the European Conference League.

Neftchi, the bronze medallist of the championship, failed again this year, although the fans of the country's most respected club expect it to be the winner of each and every local championship. But the club insistently refuses to live up to the expectations of their fans. It also failed to solve the tactical problems with the game plan during the season. The result is third place in the championship. In the National Cup finals, Neftchi failed to secure the league title, losing to FC Gabala. The bronze medal cannot be considered a success for a club such as Neftchi. The main reason for the poor performance seems to be head coach Laurentiu Reghecampf's inability to understand his players and comprehensively analyse the situation. Even in matches against weaker opponents, Reghekampf failed to optimally prepare his team.

It is worth mentioning FC Gabala, which finished fourth in the Azerbaijani championship. Despite the budget cuts and financial assistance from AFFA last summer, the club was a surprise of the year. It managed to put up a serious fight against most of the league favourites. With a weak squad, Elmar Bakhshiyev's team fought to the end. Ending the season on a winning note, Gabala qualified for the UEFA Conference League. Incidentally, Elmar Bakhshiyev's professionalism and his support by the club's management played a huge role in this success. The coaching staff, who helped the players in the most difficult times, developed a correct plan of trainings throughout the season.

Logical result

President of FC Garabagh, Tahir Gozel, described his team's achievement as a natural result: "Becoming a champions for the tenth time is something new for Azerbaijan. This makes us very happy and demonstrates the willingness and unity within the club. There is a star on Garabagh's logo. Every five years UEFA gives a star to each club. Now our logo will change and there will be two stars. This is a big achievement. Today we celebrate our victory in a completely different mindset. Because we are celebrating a victory in a liberated Azerbaijan."

Gurban Gurbanov, Garabagh's head coach, said he was happy to see his club as a winner again: "We try to be first every year. We were happy to retain the title this year as well. Our players performed very well. I think they deserve the title."

Head coach of FC Gabala, the winner of Azerbaijan Cup, Elmar Bakhshiyev, also expressed his satisfaction with the outcome of the season: "I am happy for my team. We had many difficult and hard days throughout the season. I would like to thank our players. My team made history. I want to see Gabala even more successful. They did their best. I think we deserve this victory. It is great to finish the season with a title."

The football season in Azerbaijan is over. Garabagh can now represent Azerbaijan in the Champions League, while Sabah, Neftchi and Gabala will play in the UEFA Conference League. Eurocup games will start in July.