Qarabag dominated the first half on Wednesday night, but they could not convert good chances into goals. In the 32nd minute, Patrick Andrade was in a perfect position to break the deadlock, but he hit the post, reports Xinhua.
In other matches on Wednesday night, Kl Klaksvíkar of the Faroe Islands were held goalless by Hacken Gothenburg of Sweden; Ludogorets drew 1-1 with Olimpija Ljubljana; Aris Limassol of Cyprus thrashed BATE Borisov of Belarus 6-2 while Sheriff Tiraspol of Moldova defeated Maccabi Haifa of Israel 1-0.
It was Rakow who found an opener ten minutes after the break. Marcin Cebula dribbled past a defender in the penalty area and tried to find Lukasz Zwolinski with a low pass. Elvin Jafarguliyev, who attempted to block the Rakow striker, put the ball into his own net from close range.
Substitute Fabian Piasecki doubled Rakow’s lead in the 71st minute through a header.
However, the visitors reacted in the best possible way. The Azerbaijan champions needed just three minutes to level the score. Firstly, Redon Xhixha reduced the deficit with a stunning header into the far corner, while a moment later he tapped in after an assist by Hamidou Keyta.
Qarabag tried to attack until the final whistle, but it was Rakow who had the last word. German midfielder Kittel made a dream debut as his powerful shot from distance gave the Polish champions the victory.
The second leg will be played on August 2.
