Date: Saturday, February 17, 2018
Kick-off: 3:00 pm. AZT
Venue: Gabala City Stadium
Attentance: 1,400
Referee: Rauf Jabbarov
Assitant referees: Akif Amirali, Knyaz Amiraslanov         
Fourth official: Orkhxan Mammadov  
AFFA delegate: Mammadali Mammadov  
Referee observer: Mahammad Mammadov 
Bookings: Ruslan Gurbanov, 43 (unsporting behavior); Gismat Aliyev, 46 (fouling on promising attack) // Aleksandr Dedov, 32 (unsporting behavior); Yani Urdinov, 43 (unsporting behavior); İlkin Muradov, 51 (unsporting behavior); Milan Duriç, 65 (rejecting referee order); Vugar Mustafayev, 66 (fouling systematically)
Goals: Steeven Monroze, 56; Bagaliy Dabo, 64 // Aleksandr Dedov, 39 
Stoppage time: First Half: 1 m. / Second Half: 3 m.

Gabala beat Zira with 2:1 in the 16th tour opener of the Azerbaijan Premier League at home. The first home game of the year took pace by faster attacks from Roman Grigorchuk’s red-black squad. The home side set up threats in early minutes when Filip Ozobic in the box was denied by the opponent defense. Then efforts from Bagaliy Dabo and Tamkin Khalilzadeh in the left found no one ahead of the gate. The faster start by Gabala gradually changed to mutual attacks as Zira kept some spaces but were unable to set up occasion.

The team from Baku looked backing on quick counter attacks seemed as a matter of time before Aleksandr Dedov and Richard Gadze pushed harder. Dedov’s free-kick was followed up by Vugar Mustafayev’s header failed to find the target before the Moldavian shot in the opener.

After the half-time, Grigorchuk introduced Famussa Kone and Asif Mammadov to reinforce the squad. Later on, a superb cross by Gismat Aliyev found Filip with a header deflected by the visiting keeper.

Then Asif took a new attack delivered to Kone passed into the box converted in by Monroze. The leveler was his seventh for Gabala, including fifth in the league. Just a bit later, Bagaliy Dabo scored the all-important goal coming one-on-one with the Zira keeper. This reached to be the Gabala forward’s tenth of the season. 

The result left Gabala gaining the sixth home match in a row, including four league and two cup events.

Gabala Lineup:

22. Dmytro Bezotosniy
8. Gismat Aliyev
15. Vitaliy Verniydub
34. Urfan Abbasov 
33. Tamkin Khalilzadeh
(45. Famussa Kone, 46)
10. Ruslan Gurbanov
28. Steeven Monroze
19. Filip Ozobic
16. Omar Malone
(11. Asif Mammadov, 46)
14. Javid Huseynov (C)
9. Bagaliy Dabo

BENCH:
 
23. Agil Mammadov
35. Murad Popov
4. Elvin Jamalov
5. Rasim Ramaldanov
6. Elvin Mammadov
29. Hajiagha Hajiyev
32. Amin Seydiyev
74. Yusif Nabiyev

COACH: Roman Grigorçuk

Zira Line-up:

85. Kamal Bayramov (C)
4. Vugar Mustafayev
5. Adil Naghiyev
9. Aleksandr Dedov
(7. Sadio Tounkara, 72)
14. Tellur Mutallimov
17.Vusal Isgandarli
(77. Mirsahib Abbasov, 46)
18. Yani Urdinov
23. Jovan Krneta
38. Ilkin Muradov
29. Evans Williams
(8. Milan Duric, 67)
43. Richard Gadze 

BENCH:

62. Abdulla Seyidahmadov
10. Orkhan Aliyev
11. Victor Igbekoyi
13. Aleksandr Shemonayev
16. Ibrahim Aslanly
39. Sadig Guliyev
57. Kanan Zulfugarov
88. Elshan Abdullayev

COACH:  Aykhan Abbasov