The Azerbaijani champions thrashed Aarhus 4-0 in the return leg, overturning the deficit from Denmark. The former Hajduk coach is writing club history in Baku, while the Split side have been dreaming of a European autumn in vain since the 2010/11 season.
Valdas Dambrauskas, the former coach of Hajduk Split and Gorica, continues to make history at the helm of Azerbaijan's Sabah. His team demolished Danish side Aarhus (AGF) 4-0 at home in Baku on Tuesday evening, securing a spot in the Champions League play-offs.
After losing the first leg in Denmark 2-1 seven days earlier, Sabah delivered an impressive response. The hosts took the lead in the 59th minute through Serbian striker Veljko Simić, who had already been the hero of the ties against TNS and Finland's KuPS. Just eight minutes later, French defender and Guadeloupe international Steve Solvet doubled the lead.
The final blow to the Danish champions came in the closing stages. Rwandan forward Joy-Lance Mickels made it 3-0 in the 79th minute, and Xander Severina sealed the 4-0 win in the 90th. With this victory, Sabah celebrated a 5-2 aggregate triumph and secured at least a place in the Europa League group stage.
To reach the elite competition, Sabah will face the winner of the tie between Serbian champions Red Star Belgrade and Israel's Hapoel Beer Sheeva in the play-offs. The Israelis take a 1-0 lead to Belgrade from the first leg played in Hungary last week.
Dambrauskas had already entered club history by guiding Sabah into the Conference League group stage after eliminating Finnish side KuPS. In his first season at the club, he immediately won the domestic double, bringing Sabah their first league title in history. Reaching the third qualifying round of the Champions League secured a historic European autumn, and now the Azerbaijani champions are just one step away from the elite competition.
The Lithuanian coach's success carries extra weight given his time in Split. Dambrauskas took over Hajduk in 2021, won the Croatian Cup in 2022, and mounted a fierce title challenge against Dinamo. However, former president Lukša Jakobušić sacked him after a draw with Šibenik, a decision many Hajduk fans still consider one of the worst in the club's recent history.
While Dambrauskas makes history with a financially much more modest club, Hajduk still awaits a return to the main stages of UEFA competitions. Their last appearance was in the 2010/11 season, when they featured in the Europa League group stage.
According to Transfermarkt, Sabah's squad is valued at €17.55 million, while Hajduk's roster is estimated at nearly double that, at €33.83 million. The most valuable player for the Azerbaijani champions is Polish left-back Tymoteusz Puchacz, valued at €2.5 million, while Hajduk's most expensive individual is Rokas Pukštas at €6 million.
For comparison, defeated Aarhus is valued at €35.7 million per Transfermarkt, with their most expensive player, attacking midfielder Kristian Arnstad, estimated at €6 million. In this context, Sabah is only more valuable than Varaždin, whose squad is worth €11.4 million, while trailing far behind Dinamo and Rijeka.
