Qarabağ carried a two-goal advantage into the second leg but made life difficult for themselves in Baku against Ferencváros. The Hungarians struck early, punishing a defensive lapse, as Joseph put them ahead inside 12 minutes. Qarabağ’s back line—Mustafazade, Medina, and Mateus Silva—failed to hold their shape, while Cəfəquliyev was caught out of position, leaving the visitors with a simple finish.
The Azerbaijani champions struggled to settle after conceding and were fortunate not to fall further behind. But against the run of play, Nariman Akhundzade sparked a response. Skipping past his marker on the left, he squared for Andrade, who made no mistake with a cool strike in the 25th minute to restore parity. Just before halftime, Andrade again proved decisive—this time turning provider, as his clever pass set up Zoubir to put Qarabağ 2–1 up at the break.
The second half began poorly for Qarabağ. Medina clumsily fouled his opponent in the box, and Barnabás Varga converted the penalty to level at 2–2. As the game wore on, Qarabağ’s fatigue was obvious; their pressing intensity faded, and Ferencváros grew stronger. Coach Qurban Qurbanov was slow to make changes, and the Hungarians capitalized in the 82nd minute when Tot struck to make it 3–2 on the night.
Ferencváros pressed hard in the closing stages, forcing goalkeeper Kokhalzki into a brilliant late save to deny the equalizer on aggregate. In the end, Qarabağ held on, securing a 5–4 aggregate victory and a return to the Champions League group stage for the first time in eight years.
It wasn’t pretty, and mistakes nearly cost them, but Qurbanov’s men showed resilience when it mattered. Qarabağ are back among Europe’s elite.
UEFA Champions League – Play-off Round (Second Leg)
Result: Qarabağ 2–3 Ferencváros (Agg: 5–4)
Goals: Joseph 12 (0–1), Andrade 25 (1–1), Zoubir 45 (2–1), Varga 55 pen. (2–2), Tot 82 (2–3).
Qarabağ XI: Kokhalzki, Cəfəquliyev (Bayramov 84), Mustafazade, Medina, Mateus Silva, Bedro Bicalho, Janković, Kady Borges (Kašuk 90+4), Zoubir (Kuaku 84), Andrade (Addai 69), Akhundzade (Qurbanlı 90+4).
Ferencváros XI: Dibusz, Odowda (Nagy 69), Raemaekers, Ibrahim Sissé, Makrekis, Keita (Tot 74), Ötvös (Pasić 46), Jonathan Levi (Kadu 46), Lenny Joseph (Gruber 74), Kanicovski, Barnabás Varga.