With a historic first league phase/group stage spot within grasp, both sides flew out of the blocks in Baku. Hapoel striker Igor Zlatanovic’s close-range finish was ruled out for offside following a VAR review after just two minutes, before Kaheem Parris struck the post at the other end.
Having been earlier denied, Zlatanovic soon had the goal he had threatened when he slotted into an empty net in the 10th minute after Niv Yehoshua closed down goalkeeper Stas Pokatilov’s weak clearance.
The Serbian centre-forward remained at the heart of Hapoel’s attacking play, but the injury that forced him off shortly after the half-hour mark gave Sabah a way back into the clash. And, just before HT, they were back on level terms on the night when a defensive mix-up gifted Christian Nwachukwu the easy task of prodding home from close range.
The contest’s frantic pace showed no signs of letting up after the restart, with Sabah almost turning the game on its head inside five minutes as Joy-Lance Mickels’ shot hammered the crossbar. However, Pokatilov was again at fault for the hosts as another avoidable error allowed Guy Mizrahi to chip Hapoel back in front with around an hour on the clock.
Despite the latest blow, Sabah rallied once more, and Umarali Rakhmonaliev zipped a 25-yarder past Ofir Marciano to level the game again to restore hope for the Azerbaijani outfit.
Their recovery efforts appeared to be in vain as the final whistle loomed, yet in a moment of pure drama, Tellur Mutallimov spectacularly volleyed home a 94th-minute corner to force ET and send the home crowd into raptures.
The additional 30 minutes saw the pendulum emphatically swing in Sabah’s favour. Hapoel’s cause was significantly dented by Djibril Diop’s dismissal for a second booking, before Sabah substitute Orphe Mbina nodded the Azerbaijani champions to the brink of glory.
Mickels then put the result beyond doubt with an emphatic fifth, while Eliel Peretz’s red card that reduced Hapoel to nine men was emblematic of their late collapse.
The home supporters will celebrate this success long into the night, especially after the long journey their team have come through having navigated all four rounds of UCL qualifying.
Hapoel, meanwhile, at least have the consolation prize of a first UEFA Europa League main draw qualification since 2020/21, but they will wonder how they let a place at the continent’s top table slip through their fingers.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Umarali Rakhmonaliyev (Sabah Baku)