Sabail midfielder Rufat Abdullazada spoke with Futbolxeber.az about their 1-2 loss to Neftchi, the upcoming match against Kapaz, and his expectations for a national team call-up.
- You lost 1-2 to Neftchi in the 27th round of the Premier League. How do you evaluate the match?
- We knew it would be a tough game. Unfortunately, we couldn’t achieve our goal. We went onto the pitch to get three points, gave our best, but still lost. It’s really disappointing.
- Neftchi scored twice within 30 minutes. Why did you start so poorly?
- We prepared well throughout the week, so it’s hard to pinpoint why we started weakly. I wouldn’t say Neftchi dominated from the beginning. We also had chances, but they converted theirs, and we didn’t. After conceding early, we tried to recover, but it wasn’t enough.
- Even at 0-2, did you still believe you could turn the game around?
- Absolutely. We all believed in each other. At the very least, we could have secured a draw. We had our chances, but we just couldn’t score the second goal.
- Next, you face Kapaz away. With a five-point gap and nine rounds left, is this game a final for Sabail?
- You could call it that. We’ll prepare very seriously. We need a win to close the gap. In fact, all nine remaining games are like finals for us.
- Your stunning goal against Neftchi—was it a message to national team coach Fernando Santos?
- No, not at all. It wasn’t meant as a message. It was just something personal.
- Still, many expected you to finally get a national team call-up…
- Of course, I was hoping for a call-up too. But it’s not the end of the world. I’ll keep working hard and proving myself in the next matches. Hopefully, I’ll be called up for the next training camp.
- After the Neftchi match, your team changed head coaches. What are your thoughts?
- Our job is to play football. Management makes those decisions. Elvin Mammadov was already part of the coaching staff, so he knows the team well. I believe we’ll perform better in the upcoming matches and secure our place in the Premier League.
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