"This wasn’t our first encounter with Uzbekistan’s national team—they are a familiar opponent,” said Ilham Yadullayev, head coach of Azerbaijan’s U17 national team.
Yadullayev shared his thoughts with AFFA’s press service regarding his team’s performance at the Development Cup in Minsk, Belarus, Idman.biz reports.
“We had analyzed their games and knew they had very fast and aggressive players who are skilled on the ball. Despite that, we stepped onto the field aiming for victory, but unfortunately, we couldn’t achieve it. Uzbekistan started the match aggressively, putting us under pressure and scoring early. From the middle of the first half onward, the game became more balanced. At the start of the second half, we managed to equalize. However, due to health issues, two or three key players couldn’t perform at their best. Even so, our team played well in terms of tactics and technique. Our biggest concern was our inability to capitalize on goal-scoring opportunities in attack and the defensive gaps we left at the back.”
Despite the setback, Yadullayev was satisfied with his team’s overall performance in the tournament:
“We didn’t perform badly. We did our best to achieve the highest possible result and had a chance to finish third. Unfortunately, we couldn’t make it. But I’m pleased with the players—they worked hard to execute our game plan.”
Azerbaijan's U17 national team, lost to Russia (0:3) in the group stage, won against Iran (1:0) and Kazakhstan (2:1), lost to Uzbekistan (1:2) in the match for third place.
Idman.biz
