“We knew Shamakhi would defend well, and playing on their home turf gave them an edge. Still, we fought until the end and eventually scored the winning goal. Finishing the season with a victory makes us happy.”
These were the thoughts of Qarabag defender Bahlul Mustafazada in an interview with Futbolxeber.az, commenting on their 1–0 win over Shamakhi in the final round of the Azerbaijan Premier League season, Idman.biz reports.
Asked whether wearing the captain’s armband in the second half was a sign of a strong relationship with head coach Gurban Gurbanov, Mustafazada replied:
“Of course, there’s no issue between us. It wasn’t the first time I’ve captained the team. Whenever Zoubir is subbed off, I usually wear the armband.”
He noted that even though they had already secured the championship, they approached the final matches with full motivation:
“If we hadn’t reached the cup final, we might have lacked motivation. But since we have a decisive match against Sabah, we gave our best in the final rounds to stay in top form.”
On the upcoming cup final, Mustafazada said:
“Our opponent is strong, but our sole objective is to win the cup.”
Reflecting on the season, he said:
“We had a successful campaign in the league. Unfortunately, we can’t say the same about the Europa League. However, it was a valuable learning experience, and we’ll work to correct our mistakes next season.”
Looking ahead, he added:
“I think next season will be exciting. Increasing the number of teams will have a positive impact on our league.”
Born in Imishli, Mustafazada expressed his joy over both Imishli and Gabala earning promotion to the Premier League:
“I’m very happy to see both Imishli and Gabala in the top tier. These clubs are close to my heart. I really hope Imishli will be allowed to play its home matches at its own stadium. If that happens, the local fans will provide great support — and personally, I’d love to play on that pitch myself.”
Idman.biz
