Viktoria Plzen hold Qarabag to goalless draw in UCL play-off first leg
Qarabag got off to a strong start and only needed a few minutes to establish their presence in the final metres. Ramil Sheydayev came close to finding the back of the net, but his effort from inside the box was denied by Jindich Stanek’s last-gasp save.
Kady and Sheydayev were the focal points of the hosts’ attack, but they could not find a way to penetrate the opposing defence.
As for Plzen, they failed to provide much danger but did at least wake up in the 21st minute when Tomas Chory’s effort forced a block. In all honesty, there weren’t many chances for either side throughout the first half, leaving the game in the balance heading into half time.
Things didn’t change too much after the interval, and the second period was almost a mirror image of the opening 45 minutes - Qarabag controlled possession and were the more positive side, while Plzen decided to sit back and operate a more cautious approach.
Ultimately, there was a distinct lack of clear-cut opportunities for either side as the game progressed.
Qarabag certainly looked better across the board and could have left with a better outcome had Stanek not thwarted Filip Ozobić's drive from outside the area. In the end, though, they had to make do with the stalemate.
As such, everything is still to play for ahead of the second leg at Plzen’s Doosan Arena. The Czech outfit will be particularly delighted to still be on level terms given their negative performance in Azerbaijan, but will need to improve drastically if they are to reach the UCL group stages for the first time since the 2018/19 campaign.
