Slavia Prague fall 2-0 as Sabah claim first Champions League win
Key takeaways
- Sabah beat Slavia Prague 2-0 in Baku for their first Champions League win.
- Kaheem Parris scored first and Joy-Lance Mickels added a late second goal.
- Goalkeeper Stas Pokatilov made six saves as Sabah held Slavia scoreless.
Sabah beat Slavia Prague 2-0 in Baku on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. The win was Sabah's first in the Champions League. It came in the club's first home game in the event.
What happened
The game took place at Baku Olympic Stadium It kicked off at 12:45 pm ET The game was part of matchday two of the league phase.
Both teams had lost their first games.
Sabah had lost 4-0 to Manchester United in their opener. That game took place at Old Trafford on September 10. Slavia had lost 3-2 to Lens in their opener. Both teams needed a win to get their campaigns going.
A tense first half
The first half ended 0-0. Sabah had the ball in the net early Video review ruled out the goal A Sabah player stood past the last defender when the ball was played.
The goal could not stand.
Slavia also had good chances Striker Tomas Chory missed two of them One shot was blocked on the line.
Neither team could find the net before the break The game stayed level at half time.
Two second-half goals
Sabah broke through after the break Kaheem Parris scored the first goal The strike came near the hour mark.
It was Sabah's first goal in the event The home crowd finally had a lead to cheer.
Slavia pushed hard for a tie They kept testing the Sabah goal Goalkeeper Stas Pokatilov stood firm.
He made six saves in the game His stops kept Sabah in front.
Joy-Lance Mickels then sealed the win He scored a late second goal The final score was 2-0. Sabah had their first win.
They also had their first goals in the event.
Why it matters
This win was big for a small club. Sabah was founded only in 2017. The club qualified for the Champions League on August 25. At that point, the club was only eight years old. Sabah marked its ninth birthday on September 8.
Sabah came through four rounds of qualifying The club had never passed more than two rounds in Europe before This run broke new ground for the team.
It also broke new ground for the country.
Sabah won its first Azerbaijani league title last season The club finished nine points clear of Qarabag Sabah also kept the Azerbaijani Cup.
That double sealed a strong domestic season.
Sabah is only the second club from Azerbaijan to reach this stage Qarabag was the first The win over Slavia was a first for Sabah.
It was also a proud night for Azerbaijani football.
A very fast rise
Coach Valdas Dambrauskas leads the team He told Arab News that everything from here is a bonus He wants to grow the club brand.
He wants to play good football He also wants to get some results.
The draw gave Sabah some of the strongest teams in the world The club has already faced Manchester United Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, Napoli, and Arsenal are still to come.
Each game is a hard test Each game is also a chance to learn.
Dambrauskas brings wide experience to the job Azerbaijan is his 10th country Sabah is his 10th club.
He has coached for around 15 years He said his team was not scared at Old Trafford He said small mistakes cost them there.
The win over Slavia showed the lessons were learned.
A long road
The trip list is huge for Sabah The club will travel around 34,000 km in the league phase That covers four away games and the trips home.
Each away trip is about 17,000 km one way The world is about 40,000 km around Sabah will travel almost around the world.
The travel shapes how the team trains The staff will use more video work They will hold more talks with players.
Time on the training pitch will be short The team must also keep playing domestic games Balance will be key in the next few months.
What happens next
Sabah now has three points from two games The win gives the team belief It also gives the team a base to build on.
The next games will be much harder.
Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, Napoli, and Arsenal are still to come Each one is a top club Sabah will need the same focus again.
The team will need the same hard work too.
The same night brought more shocks Barcelona beat Galatasaray 4-1 after falling behind early Atletico Madrid beat Manchester United 2-0 in Madrid.
Arsenal's home win over Lille added to the list of big results.
Viking also made news on the night The Norwegian side drew 3-3 with Bayern Munich Michael Olise's red card helped Viking push late.
The draw showed that small clubs can fight back Sabah did the same in Baku.
Sabah must now keep its feet on the ground The team must rest and recover The team must fix the small errors from the first half.
If Sabah plays with the same spirit, more points can follow The first win was a start The next games will show how far this young club can go.
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