Azerbaijan's national football team has concluded its training camp in Hungary with mixed results, suffering a 2-0 defeat to Malta before bouncing back with a 2-1 victory over San Marino.
As reported by İdman.Biz, the loss to Malta generated significant discussion among fans and experts, many of whom had expected a more positive result from Aykhan Abbasov's side.
The defeat also revived memories of a similar setback in 2002, when Azerbaijan, coached by Vagif Sadigov, lost 1-0 away to Malta. Speaking to İdman.Biz, the experienced coach shared his thoughts on the current national team's performances.
"If we look at the statistics of matches against Malta, we can say that Azerbaijan has often struggled away from home against this opponent," Sadigov said. "However, every defeat has its own reasons. Comparing it with the match during my tenure, we also conceded from simple mistakes. Even then, we controlled the game, but Malta punished us on a quick counterattack."
The former coach expressed confidence that the current coaching staff is aware of the team's shortcomings and will work to address them before the upcoming UEFA Nations League campaign.
At the same time, Sadigov stressed that focusing solely on results would be unfair and pointed to several encouraging signs in the team's performances.
"Abbasov's team tried to play with high pressing, and I think that should be viewed as part of the preparation process for the Nations League," he said. "As for San Marino, that team has improved in recent years, but we controlled the match. Problems from set pieces and the early goal created difficulties. Nevertheless, I believe we have both the ability and the desire to eliminate these shortcomings. The players look motivated and are trying to carry out the coach's instructions."
Azerbaijan will now shift its focus to the Nations League, where the coaching staff hopes to build on the lessons learned during the Hungarian training camp and further develop the team's playing style under Abbasov.
