🔝Champions League record: the youngest-ever team qualified

Sabah FK has pulled off one of the most remarkable feats in UEFA Champions League history. The Azerbaijani side qualified for the league phase for the first time after defeating Israel’s Hapoel Beer-Sheva in a dramatic extra-time finish, completing a heroic comeback in front of their fans in Baku.

Agony and glory at the death

After losing 2-1 in the first leg and trailing on the scoreboard (1-2) until the 74th minute of the return leg, the Azerbaijani champions forced extra time in the 94th minute before eventually sealing qualification. In the previous round, Sabah had already produced another stunning comeback by overturning a deficit against Denmark’s Aarhus with a 4-0 thrashing.

A historic record for European football

Founded only in 2017, Sabah becomes the youngest club in history to compete in Europe’s top continental competition, with just nine years of existence. In doing so, they surpass the record held by Russia’s Krasnodar since 2020. They also become only the second Azerbaijani club to play in the tournament after Qarabag.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.