GANCABASAR, Azerbaijan (Interstat) — Dylane Achimi scored a hat trick and Gancabasar beat Zaqatala on Thursday, scoring seven goals while keeping the visiting side off the scoreboard. Gancabasar set the tone early and added more goals after halftime to finish off a one-sided home performance. The home team controlled the match from the opening stages and never allowed Zaqatala to settle into a rhythm.

Achimi was Gancabasar’s top star, playing all 90 minutes and scoring three goals, including strikes in the 53rd and 83rd minutes. His statline read 90 minutes and three goals. Suleyman Ahmadov opened the scoring in the 17th minute and finished with a statline of 90 minutes and one goal. Paulo Miguel Quimbila scored in the 38th and also played 90 minutes while finishing with one goal. R. Tahirov scored in the 67th and David Oseye scored in the 84th. Oseye played the full match and had a statline of 90 minutes and one goal. Ahmadov and Quimbila were among the Gancabasar players who went the distance, and their goals helped the home side maintain control. The key performances for Gancabasar were led by Achimi, followed by Ahmadov, Quimbila and Oseye.

Gancabasar’s seven-goal night included goals from Achimi, Ahmadov, Quimbila, Tahirov and Oseye. Zaqatala could not find a response and finished without a goal. Gancabasar’s pressure produced chances throughout, and the home team pulled away with a late burst. Achimi’s goal in the 83rd minute came just before Oseye added another in the 84th. The scoring began with Ahmadov’s 17th-minute goal and continued with Quimbila’s strike in the 38th minute. Achimi then scored in the 53rd minute, and Tahirov added a goal in the 67th minute before the final goals. Gancabasar’s attacking play kept Zaqatala on the back foot for long stretches.

The result moved Gancabasar to 2-1 in the competition and 2-1 across all competitions. Zaqatala dropped to 0-3 in the competition and 0-3 across all competitions. Gancabasar had previously beaten Baku Sporting 2-0 and lost 2-1 at Karvan. Zaqatala had previously lost 3-1 at home to Sabail and 6-0 at Sahdag Qusar. The home win continued Gancabasar’s stronger start to the season and left Zaqatala still searching for its first result. Gancabasar’s competition record matched its overall record, while Zaqatala’s competition and overall records also remained the same. Gancabasar has two wins and one loss in the competition and overall, while Zaqatala has no wins and three losses in both.

Zaqatala’s previous results this season also included the 3-1 home setback against Sabail and the 6-0 defeat at Sahdag Qusar. Gancabasar’s previous results included the 2-1 loss at Karvan and the 2-0 home win over Baku Sporting. Those results left Gancabasar at 2-1 and Zaqatala at 0-3 before the match on Thursday. Gancabasar carried that form into the game and produced a seven-goal performance, while Zaqatala remained without a win. The visitors’ record in the competition and across all competitions stayed at 0-3. The home side’s record in the competition and across all competitions stayed at 2-1. Zaqatala’s competition record remained at no wins and three losses, and its overall record stayed the same. Gancabasar’s competition record remained at two wins and one loss, and its overall record stayed the same.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Gancabasar 5, Zaqatala 0 before the match. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Gancabasar with a 71.4 percent probability to win. Gancabasar had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -2. The game’s combined total of seven goals went under the over/under line of 3.5.