Europa League - Qualifying Play-offs - 2nd Leg
FK QarabagFK Qarabag2LinfieldLinfield1
FK Qarabag win on away goals

Europa League: FK Qarabag 2-1 Linfield (4-4 on aggregate)

By Richard PetrieBBC Sport NI
Linfield out of Europa League on away goals to Qarabag

Linfield's brave attempt to reach the Europa League group stages ended in disappointment in Azerbaijan as they lost out to Qarabag on away goals.

Trailing 3-2 from the first leg in Belfast, Qarabag took a sixth-minute lead through Jaime Romero's left-foot shot into the bottom corner.

Despite the hosts enjoying most of the possession Linfield remained resolute until Abdellah Zoubir's late goal.

Shayne Lavery rifled home in injury-time to make it 4-4 on aggregate.

The Irish Premiership champions' heroic performance at Windsor Park a week ago saw them go into the second leg with a realistic chance of becoming the first Irish League side in history to make the group stages of a European competition.

But despite a spirited display in energy-sapping humid conditions in Baku David Healy's side fell agonisingly short of an aggregate victory and landing the lucrative estimated £4m jackpot which would have come their way had they progressed.

Linfield captain Jamie Mulgrew
Jamie Mulgrew's 36th appearance for Linfield in European competition equalled Noel Bailie's club record

Linfield suffered an early setback when Romero ran on to Magaye Gueye's flicked ball and beat Rohan Ferguson at his near post with an angled drive.

The home side dominated the play for the remainder of the first half but their opponents got men behind the ball and proved difficult for the Azerbaijan champions to break down.

Ferguson palmed away Michel's effort and dived at Romero's feet to deny him a second, while at the other end Bastien Hery shot straight into the arms of Vagner da Silva in Linfield's best chance of the opening period.

Just before the interval Niall Quinn's inviting left-foot free-kick flew across goal but no Linfield player was able to get the vital touch.

Abdellah Zoubir
The impressive Abdellah Zoubir scored Qarabag's second goal of the game

Soon after the hour mark Rashad Sadygov struck the post with a free-kick from just outside the area as Qarabag went in search of the goal which they hoped would kill off the tie.

Ferguson produced another fine save from Zoubir, before Healy displayed more attacking intent by introducing Kirk Millar, Andrew Waterworth and Jordan Stewart in an attempt to find an equaliser.

As the visitors pushed forward dangerman Zoubir made the most of more space afforded to him in the Linfield half, latching onto a clever through ball, then rounding Ferguson and slotting into the empty net.

Lavery, the two-goal hero in Linfield's first-leg win, grabbed a consolation goal in added time when he chested the ball down and fired into the top corner right-footed with the aid of a deflection.

Linfield's thrilling European odyssey comes to an end while a relieved Qarabag go into Friday's draw for the group stages.

Line-ups

FK Qarabag

Formation 4-2-3-1

  • 13da Silva
  • 5Medvedev
  • 4Mammadov
  • 14Sadiqov
  • 3Ferreira SilvaBooked at 63mins
  • 8Marcos MaderaBooked at 86minsSubstituted forQuintana Sosaat 90+1'minutes
  • 20Almeida de OliveiraBooked at 82mins
  • 11Emreli
  • 9Romero
  • 17ZoubirSubstituted forAbdullayevat 90+1'minutes
  • 99GueyeSubstituted forQarayevat 85'minutesBooked at 90mins

Substitutes

  • 2Qarayev
  • 6Slavchev
  • 7Abdullayev
  • 10Quintana Sosa
  • 12Mahammadaliyev
  • 23Rherras
  • 30Huseynov

Linfield

Formation 4-2-3-1

  • 1Ferguson
  • 47Casement
  • 2StaffordBooked at 61mins
  • 6Callacher
  • 16Clarke
  • 22Mulgrew
  • 20FallonSubstituted forWaterworthat 78'minutes
  • 9CooperSubstituted forStewartat 81'minutes
  • 8Héry
  • 31QuinnSubstituted forMillarat 78'minutes
  • 14Lavery

Substitutes

  • 7Waterworth
  • 10Stewart
  • 12Millar
  • 17Kearns
  • 23McGivern
  • 27Mitchell
  • 40Moore
Referee:
Sergei Ivanov
Attendance:
18,349

Scores, Results & Fixtures

Thursday 29th August 2019

As It Stood

A

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1B Leverkusen6411169713
2Zürich631276110
3AEK Larnaca6123612-65
4Ludogorets604257-24

B

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1RB Salzburg66001761118
2Celtic630368-29
3RB Leipzig62139817
4Rosenborg6015414-101

C

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Zenit St Petersburg632165111
2Slavia Prague631243110
3Bordeaux62136607
4FC Copenhagen612335-25

D

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Dinamo Zagreb6420113814
2Fenerbahçe62227708
3Spartak Trnava621347-37
4Anderlecht603327-53

E

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Arsenal65101221016
2Sporting64111331013
3Vorskla Poltava6105413-93
4FK Qarabag6105213-113

F

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Real Betis633072512
2Olympiakos6312116510
3AC Milan6312129310
4F91 Dudelange6015316-131

G

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Villarreal6240125710
2Rapid Vienna631269-310
3Rangers61328806
4Spartak Moscow6123812-45

H

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Frankfurt66001751218
2Lazio6303911-29
3Apollon Limassol6213101007
4Marseille6015616-101

I

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1KRC Genk6321148611
2Malmö FF62317619
3Besiktas6213911-27
4Sarpsborg 086123813-55

J

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Sevilla64021861212
2FK Krasnodar640288012
3Standard Liege631279-210
4Akhisarspor6015414-101

K

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Dynamo Kyiv6321107311
2Rennes630378-19
3FC Astana62227708
4FK Jablonec612368-25

L

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Chelsea6510123916
2BATE Borisov63039909
3MOL Vidi621357-27
4PAOK Salonika6105512-73
View full Europa League tables