Qarabağ on the cusp of glory

Memories of a famous win ten years ago have been flooding back for Azerbaijani club FK Qarabağ as they look to pull off another shock result against UEFA Europa League opponents Rosenborg BK in Baku.

Famous victory
By holding the Norwegian side to a goalless draw in Trondheim in last week's second qualifying round first leg, Qarabağ have put themselves in a position to perhaps even better their victory over Maccabi Haifa FC in the 1999 UEFA Intertoto Cup. That first-round triumph, with Qarabağ prevailing on away goals, was the first by a team from Azerbaijan in European club competition.

'Team spirit'
Qarabağ assistant coach Mushvig Huseynov remembers it well, having scored both of his side's goals in their decisive 2-1 succcess in Haifa. "I will never forget my double in Israel," he told uefa.com. "That was the first win for an Azeri club, but the team spirit that helped us nine years ago is still alive. Many of those who played that night still work here."

'Luck needed'
The scalp of UEFA Champions League group-stage regulars Rosenborg would represent arguably an even bigger achievement. Qarabağ coach Gurban Gurbanov knows it will not come easy, however. "We will need effort, discipline and a bit of luck, plus of course the right choice of players and tactics," said the Azerbaijan national team's all-time leading scorer, who conversely favours defensive football as a coach. "We are not good enough to impose ourselves against a strong side like Rosenborg," he added.

Local talent
They may not be up to the standard of the 20-time Norwegian champions, but Qarabağ do not want for quality. The capital-based outfit boast more Azeri internationals than any of their domestic rivals, including 27-year-old captain Rashad Sadygov. Unusually for a top-ranking Premyer Liqasi side, they also rely largely on local talent: Albanian defender Admir Teli is their only foreign star while their summer reinforcements include promising Azerbaijan-born players in 21-year-old winger Elvin Mammadov and 22-year-old forward Vugar Nadyrov.

'A special club'
The club whose original home town of Agdam has been deserted since the 1990s as a result of conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, also aspire to bring local passion to their European home – Baku's Tofikh Bakhramov-Republic Stadium. General manager Asif Askerov said: "Qarabağ is a special club because we represent a number of displaced people for whom we provide a piece of home. Can we win the tie? We are more than determined and I am sure the stadium will be packed."