Enduring one of its most challenging seasons, Neftchi has now secured its third consecutive victory.
The Baku club defeated Zira 2-1 in the 22nd round of the Misli Premier League, Idman.biz reports.
This win follows their previous successes - a 1-0 victory against Shamakhi in the 21st round and a 2-0 triumph over Kapaz in the first leg of the Azerbaijani Cup quarterfinals.
For a club with nine league titles and six national cups, a three-match winning streak might seem routine. However, given Neftchi’s struggles in recent years, this run is a long-awaited boost. In fact, the last time they won three consecutive matches was 26 months ago, during the 2022/23 season.
That previous streak in December 2022 also included two league wins and a cup victory. Neftchi had beaten Turan Tovuz 1-0 away, followed by a dramatic extra-time cup win against Zira (3-1), and capped off the run with a 3-0 triumph over Shamakhi. At that time, the team was led by Laurentsiu Regekampf. Since then, the club has endured a turbulent period, failing to put together another three-game winning streak in both the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
Despite this recent upturn in form, Neftchi still finds itself sixth in the league table with 24 points after 22 matches. Whether this marks a true resurgence or just a temporary bright spot remains to be seen.
Vugar Kheyrullayev
Idman.biz
