Agaseyid Gasimov, the goalkeeper of Azerbaijan’s national minifootball team, spoke to Futbolxeber.az about the group stage and upcoming challenges at the Minifootball World Cup hosted in Baku.
– You defeated Mauritania 2-0 in the final round of the group stage. What are your thoughts on that match?
– We knew it would be a tough match, so we prepared seriously. We were ready for anything. We got the win and continue on our path. Hosting the World Cup in Azerbaijan is a great achievement, and we want to reward our fans with a championship.
– Did the draw in the opening match affect the team’s psychology?
– The first matches are always tough. The atmosphere in the arena also had an impact. Even though we drew with Bahrain in the first match, we managed to bounce back and finish as group leaders.
– The Round of 16 begins today and your opponent is Romania, the reigning world champion.
– Romania is a very strong opponent – they’re both world and European champions. It’s going to be a tough game, no doubt. We expect a very intense match. But if we want to be champions, we must beat Romania.
– Does playing on home soil add extra pressure?
– Playing in front of our home crowd is a huge responsibility. We’re doing everything we can to meet the expectations of our amazing fans. We’ll give our maximum effort to make them proud.
– If you eliminate Romania, which teams do you see as main rivals in the title race?
– I’d mention Serbia and Hungary. This World Cup is definitely more competitive. All the teams are showing their strength.
– Kazakhstan, the team that has knocked Azerbaijan out of the last World and European Championships, failed to get past the group stage this time. Is that added motivation for your team?
– We’ve always had tough matches against Kazakhstan. They beat us in the semifinals of the last World Cup and the quarterfinals of the European Championship. Their early exit could be an advantage for us. It also shows how difficult this World Cup really is.
Idman.biz
