Champion of Georgia starts the responsive match of the second qualifying round of Champions League with three-goal difference. Unfortunately, expectation of “Neftchi” fans became reality. Their team won with big score. “Zestafoni” showed weak football. The team is lack of several experienced football players.
Defense line played very weakly. These three goals were scored because of mistakes. If not good play of goalkeeper Roin Kvaskhvadze, the score would have been bigger. The hosts gained advantage at the beginning of the match. The first dangerous moments occurred at the 4th minute – Bertucci took a free kick but Kvaskhvadze parried it. After this episode, “Zestafoni” played actively for five minutes and Owonikoko missed a good chance to score goal. After a corner kick, he shot the ball with head. The ball touched goalkeeper and fell down but there were no Georgians to score goal.
The hosts were so active that they shot the ball toward the goal several times but the goalkeeper parried them. In the middle of the first half, Ramos attacked the Georgians and scored goal.
Soon after, the Azerbaijani team scored the second goal. Wobay was the author of the second goal. Before the end of the half, Menteshashvili took a free kick but the ball touched crossbar.
20 minutes after the start of the second half, Canales scored goal.
Chiabrishvili substituted Owonikoko with Mujiri and Aptsiauri with Guguchia. Both of them played actively. Mujiri could have scored but missed.
At the end of the match, the hosts had advantage and nobody would have been surprised if the score had become 4:0 but it did not happen.
Press conference:
Giorgi Chiabrishvili:
“It was one of the worst matches of my team. I took responsibility. We could do nothing. We will do our best to improve situation in Zestaponi. One match is ahead and we are not without any chance. Neftchi is a good team and played well. Azerbaijanis achieved what they thought. They proved that their optimism was well-grounded. But I repeat once again, we will hold the match in a week. If after two matches, “Neftchi” goes through the next round, I will confess that my colleague was right. I will say that our chances are few but we will try to use it. After the first goal, we made a very bad mistake.
Otar Maglakelidze special correspondent of worldsport.ge from Baku
