Nigerian forward Jesse Sekidika was unable to find the back of the net as his team Sabah Baku slipped up in their season opener against Shamakhi in the Azerbaijan Premier League.

A disappointing season opener for Sabah Baku, who were unable to hold onto their early advantage, Footballrover reports.

Despite dominating the game and having over 11 goal attempts, Sabah Baku surrendered a commanding 2-0 lead to settle for a 2-2 draw at the Bank Respublika Arena.

Sekidika, who played the entire game, was unable to capitalise on his team’s scoring opportunities as he lacked the finishing touch in front of goal.

The 28-year-old Nigerian forward and his teammates were left frustrated after watching their lead slip away, with Shamakhi scoring two goals from just two attempts.

Namiq Alasgarov opened the scoring for the home side just 16 minutes into the game. Khayal Aliyev doubled the lead 21 minutes later.

However, Rufat Abbasov pulled one back for the visitors a minute before halftime.

Barely seven minutes into the second half, Belajdi Pusi restored parity for the visitors.

Just as Sabah Baku thought they had finally won the game in the 63rd minute, their effort was disallowed for offside, and the match ended in a 2-2 draw.

The draw leaves Sabah Baku with a share of the spoils in their opening match, but they will need to improve their efficiency in front of goal if they are to challenge for silverware this season.

The match was played in front of a sparse crowd of just 503 fans in attendance at the 9,000-capacity stadium.

It was not an ideal start to the new campaign, especially in front of their home fans. The draw leaves them in fifth place in the 10-team Azerbaijan League table.

Sabah Baku will aim to bounce back from this disappointing result in their next match against St Patrick’s Athletic in the first leg of the Europa Conference League third qualifying round at Tallaght Stadium on Thursday, August 8th.

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