CORNERFLICK
Sabah began their first Champions League campaign with a 4-0 defeat away to Manchester United, but the debut brought a curious slice of competition history as well as a heavy loss.
A first XI with 11 nationalities
The Azerbaijani club became the first team in Champions League history to name a starting line-up made up entirely of players from different nationalities. Alongside their Kazakhstan goalkeeper, Sabah’s starting XI included players from Nigeria, Rwanda, Jamaica, Serbia, Croatia, Uzbekistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, South Africa and Poland.
Late changes from the coach added two more Azerbaijani players during the match, while a Gabonese and a Brazilian player also appeared before full-time.
Another hard night for Azerbaijani clubs in England
Sabah were one of five teams who failed to score in the opening round of fixtures. The result also continued a poor record for Azerbaijani sides away to English opposition in the Champions League.
They have now lost all four of their trips to England, with the combined score across those matches standing at 19-2. Qarabağ had made the previous three visits, losing 6-0 at Chelsea and Liverpool and 3-2 at Newcastle.