In an entertaining UEFA Europa League first qualifying round clash, Lithuanian manager Valdas Dambrauskas suffered defeat in his official debut with Azerbaijani Cup winners Sabah FK, falling 2–3 to Slovenia’s NK Celje, who featured Lithuanian defender Artemijus Tutyškinas in the starting eleven.
While fellow Lithuanian Armandas Kučys remains sidelined for several more months due to a torn ACL, Tutyškinas played a full 90 minutes, receiving a yellow card in what proved to be a dramatic matchday for both sides.
The 48-year-old Dambrauskas, appointed just last month, saw his new team make a dream start as Slovak forward Pavol Šafranko opened the scoring in the 3rd minute. However, Celje struck back almost immediately. In the 7th minute, their new Croatian striker Franko Kovačević brought things level with a composed finish — setting the tone for an action-packed evening.
Sabah soon regained the lead via a penalty. Šafranko stepped up and confidently converted from the spot in the 18th minute, notching his second goal of the night and sending his side into halftime with a 2–1 advantage.
The Slovenian Cup holders came out determined after the break. Just minutes into the second half, Iosifov lofted a clever pass over the defense, which Kovačević met with a powerful header into the roof of the net to score his second of the game, leveling the score at 2–2.
Despite Sabah’s attempts to regain momentum, it was Celje who had the final say.
In the 93rd minute, just as the match looked destined to end in a draw, Anomnachi Chidi whipped in a precise cross, finding Darko Hrka in the box. Hrka rose above the defense and guided a header into the bottom right corner, securing a dramatic late win for Celje and spoiling what could have been a promising debut for Dambrauskas.
The second leg will take place next Thursday in Slovenia. The winner will progress to face either AEK Larnaca or Partizan Belgrade in the Europa League second qualifying round. The losing side will continue their European campaign in the UEFA Europa Conference League.
