The Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium in Baku has hosted a football spectacle that captured the attention of the entire European continent. Aghdam”s Qarabag faced off against London”s Chelsea – the reigning Club World Cup champions.
What unfolded was a true football feast, keeping fans on edge for the full 90 minutes. Qarabag once again showed Europe that they are capable of challenging the continent’s elite. The final score – a dramatic 2–2 draw – thrilled Qarabag supporters and neutral fans alike, while leaving British media and Chelsea loyalists in shock.
Report has prepared a digest of how leading media outlets from the “Foggy Albion” assessed the outcome of the match between Qarabag and Chelsea.
One of the UK’s most respected outlets, The Times, expressed clear disappointment in its headline: “Chelsea humiliated as Qarabag snatch first point from English side.” The article highlighted that Qarabag had secured their first-ever draw against an English club in European competition.
Meanwhile, The Mirror described the match as a difficult night in Baku for the Londoners.
Although the Blues took an early lead, they appeared stunned by Qarabag’s intensity and periods of impressive attacking play, The Mirror said. It added that Estevão Willian (Chelsea’s first goal scorer- ed.) netted his fourth goal of the season in the 16th minute, but Qarabag equalized soon after through Leandro Andrade, who outsmarted Robert Sánchez. Then, in the 39th minute, Marko Janković converted a penalty to put the hosts ahead, it said.
The paper added that Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca made a triple substitution at halftime, which quickly paid off as Alejandro Garnacho leveled the score.
Chelsea, sitting on six points after three Champions League matches, came to Baku looking for victory but had to settle for a draw as Qarabag surprised the Blues that night, it said.
The Guardian also praised the Azerbaijani champions, noting that Argentine forward Alejandro Garnacho rescued Chelsea from an unexpected defeat to Qarabag.
Undoubtedly, Qarabag will be the happier side after this thrilling draw, the paper said, adding that Chelsea, on the other hand, will take solace in avoiding a serious setback on their trip to Azerbaijan.
The article further pointed to the limited impact of Maresca’s substitutions, suggesting that despite his efforts to inject fresh energy, Chelsea’s performance remained below expectations.
Daily Mail, in turn, headlined its coverage by saying that the draw between Qarabag and Chelsea should serve as a lesson for Italian manager Enzo Maresca and his English side. The author made no attempt to hide his disappointment with the result, though much of the frustration was directed toward the referee.
“Sebastian Gishamer, the Austrian referee in this clash, was not experienced at this elite level of Europe. Even his own football federation were shouting from the rooftops that he had been assigned a Champions League game, apparently,” the paper said.
However, the journalist quickly conceded that Chelsea could not justify their failure to secure a win in Baku solely by blaming officiating errors or injuries and fatigue. Maresca had rotated his squad heavily – making seven changes from the previous Premier League clash with Tottenham.
“Whatever time they had, Maresca’s side should have used to beat their opponents in Baku,” the paper says.
Report