"We entered the game aiming for victory."
This is what Tahir Bakhshiyev, the head coach of the Azerbaijani men's basketball team, said in an interview with Idman.biz after evaluating the team's performance in the 1st qualification round of the 2027 FIBA World Cup European Zone, where they played against Ireland.
The coach shared his thoughts on the match: "We knew our opponent was a strong team. In fact, our first match against Ireland was the worst game in our group. That’s why we aimed to perform better in Baku. However, there was fatigue after the match against Kosovo. The long travel also negatively affected us. Orkhan Aydın’s injury caused difficulties in our game strategy. The players were eager to win, but unfortunately, it didn't work out."
Bakhshiyev emphasized that the recent games have provided valuable experience for the team: "This was our first time participating in such competitions. These games gave us important experience. The players now understand which areas need improvement. This experience will be beneficial in future competitions."
The Azerbaijani team lost the match with a score of 64:79. The team finished last in the group with 7 points and only 1 victory in total.
Aytaj Sahed
Idman.biz
