Shamakhy eased to a 4-1 victory over Kapaz in the Azerbaijan Premier League's fourth round on Friday, September 4th. The visitors took control early and never looked back, while the hosts found themselves chasing shadows for long stretches. By then, the result was never in doubt.
T. Akhvlediani gave Shamakhy the lead in the ninth minute, and U. Cahangirov doubled the advantage before half-time. Kapaz went into the break with a two-goal deficit and a growing sense of unease. To be fair, the visitors had been clinical when it mattered.
D. Acquah pulled one back for Kapaz in the 55th minute, and the home side briefly thought they might salvage something. A. Bouali, who had already collected a yellow card, levelled in the 63rd minute after a substitution reshuffle. And here's the thing — Kapaz had accumulated four yellows by the 40th minute alone, a sign of growing desperation.
H. Ismayilov restored Shamakhy's two-goal cushion in the 76th minute, and the visitors had nothing to do all evening after that. Kapaz threw bodies forward but found no answer. The old head settled them down, but time was running out.
Kapaz sit eighth with three points from two games, while Shamakhy remain in tenth with two points from three. The hosts had beaten Tuğan Gändjä and Sabah in their opening fixtures, but this was a different proposition. The gap between expectation and reality was wider than most predicted.
