“I thank my players for the beautiful game”.
Modern.az reports that these words were spoken by Aykhan Abbasov, who is temporarily acting as head coach of the Azerbaijani national team, at a press conference organized after their 1:1 draw with the Ukrainian national team in the DÇ-2026 qualifying round.
The specialist stated that the match went well for his team: “Regardless of the score, I would have thanked my players. They were under a certain amount of pressure. We managed to get a point from the opponent. I believe we achieved this thanks to our fans. They were with us until the end and inspired the players. Emin Mahmudov's goal made us very happy. Even the players were expecting a goal from him. Toral Bayramov's entry into the field also positively influenced the course of the match.”
He said that the opponent's squad included technically skilled players: “Despite this, our team fought. A national spirit and motivation were visible in all members of our national team. We will continue to work for the development of Azerbaijani football.”
A. Abbasov spoke about his expectations for the upcoming match against France: “Playing against France is valuable for the development of our football. Of course, it will not be easy. We need time for this. It is also not right to say anything now. Because we do not yet know AFFA's decision regarding me. In the current situation, we need to wait.”
It should be noted that our national team lost 0:5 to Iceland in the first match of the qualifying round.
