Captain of the Azerbaijan national football team, Emin Mahmudov, gave an interview to QOL.az.
– What caused the defeat?
– Hungary is a quality team. Our game didn’t really come together. We wanted to attack more. We had chances, but couldn’t convert them. In fact, we could have played better. Overall, Hungary deserved the win.
– Would you say there was a noticeable difference in level between the two teams?
– Unfortunately, we don’t have a player like Dominik Szoboszlai. He was making 50-meter passes with ease. That made things difficult for us. But we can’t stop here — we need to work harder.
– Hungary is more or less at the same level as our World Cup 2026 qualifying group rivals Iceland and Ukraine. If we can’t do anything against Hungary at home, what can we hope for in the official matches?
– I wouldn’t say we did nothing. We had chances. In the final minutes, we could’ve drawn the game. We had opportunities to score a second goal. We’ll try to perform better in the future.
– During the game, our team took 8 shots, while the opponent had 25...
– There’s clearly a gap between the teams. But as I said, we can play better.
– The national team hasn’t won in a year — 10 games without a victory. When will this streak end?
– We understand the situation. Our fans are disappointed too. It’s a shame things are turning out this way. We also want to turn things around as soon as possible.
– Before the match, there were reports that if the team lost, Fernando Santos would be dismissed. Did the Portuguese coach say goodbye to you after the game?
– I’m not aware of that. No, Santos didn’t mention anything about that after the match. Decisions about the head coach are not our concern. Our job is to take the field and fight for the name of Azerbaijan.
Idman.biz
