Robbie Keane Warns Against Complacency After Ferencváros Slip in Champions League Play-Off
Budapest, 20 August 2025 — Ferencváros manager Robbie Keane delivered a sobering post-match reflection after his side suffered a 3–1 home defeat to Qarabağ FK in the first leg of the Champions League play-off round. Despite taking an early lead, the Hungarian champions now face an uphill battle to reach the group stage.
Barnabás Varga opened the scoring in the 29th minute, giving Ferencváros a promising start at the Groupama Aréna. But the momentum shifted dramatically in the second half, with Qarabağ responding through goals from Marko Janković, Kevin Medina, and Musa Qurbanlı.
Speaking after the match, Keane didn’t mince words: “Football can always come back and kick you where it’s not good,” he said, acknowledging the psychological edge Qarabağ may now hold. “What can give us hope is that they already think they’ve won.”
The Irishman lamented the “small margins” that defined the game, citing a key injury to Bence Ötvös as a turning point. “We were okay in the first half. We got the goal, looked comfortable. But after losing Bence, I wanted more control of the football,” Keane explained. “They took their chances. We didn’t.”
Keane, who led Ferencváros to their seventh consecutive domestic title in May, now faces one of his toughest tests since taking over in January. The return leg in Azerbaijan looms large, with Ferencváros needing a two-goal swing to keep their Champions League dream alive.
The former Ireland striker remains defiant, leaning on experience and grit: “It’s not like they played through us. That’s disappointing. But we’ve got a second leg. And football, as we know, doesn’t always follow the script.”
