Qarabağ make history as Muarem stuns Dnipro

• Qarabağ become first Azerbaijani club to win UEFA group stage match
• Visitors' first goal of campaign settles contest
• Muarem Muarem scores winner with fine solo effort
• Dnipro winless and goalless in Group F
• Next games: Qarabağ v Dnipro (6 November)

Qarabağ FK became the first Azerbaijani club to win a UEFA group stage game after a 1-0 UEFA Europa League Group F victory at FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk.

Goals have been few and far between in this section, so it was fitting that Qarabağ's first of the campaign settled this contest. Muarem Muarem's 21st-minute strike illuminated a claustrophobic first period, finishing a blistering counter in style. Driving into the box from the left flank, he cut inside two challengers and onto his right foot, curling low into the far corner to stun the home crowd.

The visitors sprang at their opponents immediately the match restarted too, Reynaldo bursting down the right and bringing a fine near-post parry from Denys Boyko.

Dnipro turned the screw as the game wore on, with Ivan Strinić and Yevhen Konoplyanka combining to great effect on the left. Captain Ruslan Rotan almost profited from a cross from the latter, timing his run to perfection but sending his header skywards.

A rare Qarabağ foray nearly brought the second goal as goalscorer Muarem stole in to exploit hesitant play in the Dnipro back line. The forward steadied himself, but when forced wide he could not slip his effort past a sprawling Boyko.

Backs-to-the-wall defending was necessary for the final minutes, with one superb headed interception proving vital in the dying seconds. A desperate, diving Admir Teli prevented a clean-through Nikola Kalinić from collecting an inviting long pass. He would surely have equalised.