Theo Weeks and his Azerbaijani club, Gabala FK, won an extraordinary playoff first leg victory over NK Maribor.

The Azerbaijani Premier League outfit recorded a 3-1 victory over their Slovenian counterpart to grab their fifth qualification victory from seven matches so far.

Despite playing at home, Gabala began on a disappointing note, conceding a goal in the 18^th minute.

However, an equalizer from Sergei Zenjov, who scored from a Weeks assist in the 38^th minute, and a second half double from French forward, Bagaliy Dabo, were enough to hand Gabala a first leg victory at home.

Gabala will have to defend their lead when the two sides meet in Slovenia on August 25 and Weeks said he believes greater challenge lies ahead.

“We are in the lead, but there’s more to do if we are to qualify,” he said, in an interview to The Bush Chicken. “We won at home, but the victory wasn’t an easy one. We conceded [an] early goal and had to work harder to get the result our way. They have a very strong team that is very difficult to play.”

He said Gabala has no room for complacency in the squad, as they all are targeting the group stage.

“At the moment, we aren’t relaxed,” the midfielder said. “Nobody is satisfied. We all have a target, and that is to reach the group stage of the competition. We have had some good results along the way, but all will be fruitless if we fail to reach the group stage. Until the second leg is over and we are qualified, we will not celebrate.”

Featured photo courtesy of Gabala FK