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Joy-Lance Mickels Makes First Champions League Appearance for Sabah

By Drooid · Sep 11, 2026, 1:40 PM UTC · How we work

History

Joy-Lance Mickels Historic Debut

Joy-Lance Mickels becomes the first Rwandan to play in the Champions League at Old Trafford.
Mickels will start for Sabah FK against Manchester United in the opening league-phase match.
He scored four qualifying goals, including the decisive strike that eliminated Hapoel Be’er Sheva.
Mickels netted 19 league goals as Sabah secured its first Azerbaijan Premier League title.

Summary

JJ Gabriel Hat-trick

Manchester United teenager JJ Gabriel scored a hat-trick against Sabah in the Youth League match.
United recorded 44 attempts while Sabah registered no shots.
Sabah captain and goalkeeper Stas Pokatilov kept a clean sheet for the first 27 minutes.
Only Veljko Simic among Sabah’s sixteen starters had previously played at elite European level.

History

Historical Context

George Weah’s 1995 Ballon d’Or—making him the first African to win football’s top individual award—proved that African strikers could excel in Europe’s elite leagues. His breakthrough spurred clubs to scout the continent more aggressively, a trend that today sees Joy-Lance Mickels become the first Rwandan to start for Sabah FK at Old Trafford.

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Joy-Lance Mickels Historic Debut

Joy-Lance Mickels becomes the first Rwandan to play in the Champions League at Old Trafford.
Mickels will start for Sabah FK against Manchester United in the opening league-phase match.
He scored four qualifying goals, including the decisive strike that eliminated Hapoel Be’er Sheva.
Mickels netted 19 league goals as Sabah secured its first Azerbaijan Premier League title.

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