Yesterday, we witnessed the central fixture of the 7th round of the Misli Premier League. The match in question was between Neftchi and Sabah.

It could be fully described as a derby, featuring two teams from the capital vying for the championship. Over 7,000 spectators watched the match live from the stands.

From the start of the match, the tension was at its peak. We also saw a culmination point in the second half. Although there were no goals, the absence of the ball crossing the line was not felt— it was a highly dynamic encounter filled with fast-paced, mutual attacks.

Sabah made three player rotations. This included Umarali Rakhmonaliyev, Aleksey Isayev, and Choi-Lens Mikels. All three were brought on in the 62nd minute. The head coach's decision could be related to three different factors: protecting players returning fatigued from national team duty, increasing pressure during the match, or conserving the strength of key players ahead of the upcoming game against Slavia. This was noted by Offsideplus.az correspondent Mr. Valdas Dambrauskas. The Lithuanian specialist stated that he gave chances to players he was more familiar with, as they had trained together for 20 days.

There is much to discuss about this match. Whether it’s the atmosphere, the interest in the game, or the dynamics of the encounter. In short, we saw everything except for goals. Let’s hope for more matches like this.