Ugandan forward James Bogere produced a brilliant display, scoring twice to inspire Denmark’s Aarhus Gymnastikforening (AGF) to a 2-1 victory over Azerbaijan’s Sabah FK in the first leg of the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League.
The highly rated youngster broke the deadlock shortly after the hour mark at Cepheus Park, unleashing a powerful strike from the edge of the penalty area that flew into the roof of the net and sent the home fans into celebration.
Bogere, who made his Uganda Cranes debut at the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco earlier this year, doubled AGF’s advantage just three minutes later. The forward timed his run perfectly to meet a well-weighted pass from Magnus Knudsen before firing a first-time shot into the far corner to complete his impressive brace.
Sabah FK responded in the 67th minute when Veljko Simić finished off a cutback from Rakhmonaliev to reduce the deficit and keep the tie alive ahead of the return leg.
The two teams will meet again in Baku for the second leg, with the aggregate winner advancing to the UEFA Champions League play-off round.