Inter earn Qarabag draw

Dnipro beat Saint-Etienne 1-0, so the Ukrainians go through to the next round.

The Nerazzurri had already qualified top of their group, while Qarabag, Saint-Etienne and Dnipro were still fighting for second place. The Azerbaijani club needed a victory or a draw if the other game ended in a stalemate. Roberto Mancini left many stars at home, but wanted a morale booster in Baku after two consecutive Serie A defeats.

Daniel Osvaldo threaded through for Federico Bonazzoli, but the 17-year-old striker’s first touch let him down and the Qarabag defence was able to recover.

Namik Alaskarov fired wide of the near post when sent clear by Muarem and was then booked for a mistimed tackle on Joel Obi, while Bonazzoli saw his turn and strike saved.

The hosts were forced into a substitution before the break, as Vuqar Nadirov went off with muscular problems.

In first half stoppages, Leroy George dribbled through the defence and went one-on-one with Juan Pablo Carrizo, but the goalkeeper was alert and decisive to stop him scoring.

Qarabag continued to have the better chances and Alaskarov just failed to make contact with a Muarem assist, then Carrizo needed another tough save on George.

Osvaldo unleashed a right-foot screamer from distance, punched away with difficulty by Ibrahim Sehic. The Qarabag goalkeeper was also acrobatic to deny Bonazzoli’s left-foot effort from the edge of the box.

The stadium exploded deep into stoppages when Richard Almeida had the ball in the net, a result that would qualify Qarabag despite Dnipro’s 1-0 win over Saint-Etienne, but it was ruled offside amid furious protests. Replays show it was a perfectly valid goal, aided by an Isaac Donkor error.

Qarabag 0-0 Inter

Qarabag: Sehic; Agolli, Sadigov, Guseynov, Medvedev; Richard Almeida, Qarayev; Muarem, George, Alaskarov (Gurbanov 60); Nadirov (Yusifov 43)

Inter: Carrizo; Campagnaro, Donkor, Andreolli, D’Ambrosio (Dimarco 84); Mbaye, M’Vila, Krhin, Obi (Baldini 91); Bonazzoli, Osvaldo

Ref: Zelinka (CZE)