Azerbaijani champions Sabah FK recorded their first-ever UEFA Champions League victory after defeating Slavia Prague 2-0 in their league-phase encounter on Tuesday.
The competition debutants secured the historic win at the Bakı Olimpiya Stadionu with second-half goals from Kaheem Parris and Joy-Lance Mickels.
Parris broke the deadlock in the 49th minute, finishing Ivan Lepinjica’s cutback with a first-time effort from the edge of the box.
The forward had earlier thought he had given Sabah the lead, but his first-half strike was ruled out for offside following a video assistant referee review.
Slavia Prague came close to drawing level when Lukas Provod’s hooked effort was saved before his follow-up header was blocked on the goal line by Sabah defender Akim Zedadka.
The visitors subsequently appealed for a penalty after the ball struck Zedadka’s arm, but the VAR review concluded that it had touched his chest before making contact with his arm.
Sabah doubled their advantage in the 88th minute through Mickels after a defensive error from Slavia.
Goalkeeper Jakub Markovic came off his line but failed to control the ball properly, allowing Mickels to attempt a shot from distance.
Slavia defender David Moses had an opportunity to clear the danger but stumbled, allowing the ball to roll into the net.
The victory marked a significant turnaround for Sabah, who had suffered a heavy defeat to Manchester United in their opening Champions League fixture.
For Slavia Prague, the loss extended their winless run in the competition to 21 matches, comprising seven draws and 14 defeats.
It is the longest such run in the Champions League since Romanian side FCSB went 23 games without a victory in 2013.
Sabah will host Borussia Dortmund in their next league-phase fixture, while Slavia Prague travel to face Fenerbahce on October 21.
