Sabah Remains Optimistic After 2-1 Loss to Hapoel Be'er Sheva in Champions League Qualifier

Sabah lost 2-1 to Hapoel Be'er Sheva in their away match in Romania but still believes the tie is reversible ahead of next week's second leg in Baku. Sabah took an early lead but conceded a late goal by Igor Zlatanovic, allowing the Israeli champions to secure the win. Despite the defeat, Sabah's coach Valdas Dambrauskas expressed optimism, recalling a similar scenario in a previous round where his team overturned a deficit in Baku. He emphasized the need to capitalize on Hapoel Be'er Sheva's mistakes and correct his own team's errors in the upcoming match.

Azerbaijani media acknowledged Sabah struggled to handle Be'er Sheva's ball possession and direct play, which limited Sabah's chances. Dambrauskas praised Hapoel Be'er Sheva as a quality team that maintained a strong pace and applied effective pressure throughout the game. The decisive second leg is scheduled for Tuesday in Baku, where Sabah aims to advance to the Champions League group stage for the first time in their history.