Shahdag took all three points from Shimal in the Birinci Deste on Wednesday, closing out a 4-1 victory at the home side's ground. The result keeps the visitors in second place after two rounds, while the hosts remain seventh with a single point from their opening fixtures.
Shimal struck first through U. Ismayilov in the seventh minute, a moment that suggested the home side might hold their own. To be fair, the visitors responded quickly, with S. Mammadov finding the net in the thirty-seventh minute to turn the match on its head. And here's the thing — once the visitors took the lead, Shimal never quite recovered their composure.
Shahdag pulled away in the second half. C. Kalbaliyev added a third in the seventy-fourth minute, followed by F. Camalov's goal in the eighty-third. An additional strike came in the eighty-sixth minute to seal the result. By then, the outcome was never in doubt.
The visitors had predicted this outcome. Our prediction offered a Shahdag victory at 59 per cent confidence, and the match played out as expected. The away side's two wins from two games put them six points clear at the top of the table, while Shimal's draw against MOIK and defeat to Djibrail meant they started the season poorly.
Shahdag's recent form suggests a side finding its rhythm. A 2-0 win over Karvan and a 1-0 victory against MOIK in September showed steady improvement, building on results from May that included draws against Baku Sporting and Sabail. Shimal, meanwhile, have shown flashes of promise — a 2-1 win over Garadag Lokbatan and a 3-2 victory against Djibrail earlier in the season — but consistency has been elusive.
The gap between the two sides now stands at five points. Shahdag's away win extends their winning run, while Shimal face a difficult run-in if they hope to climb away from the bottom half of the table.
