Zira's Portuguese goalkeeper Thiago Silva's interview with Telegraf
– Were you satisfied with your team’s result against Hajduk?
– Of course, our objectives are clear. Since we played the first match at home, we wanted to travel to Croatia with a favorable result. We were thinking of winning by at least one or two goals. Although that wasn’t possible, our performance showed that we can clearly compete against established European teams. Given the current situation, our hope lies with the return match. We must prepare well and aim for a positive result in Croatia.
– You returned to official action after a long break. How did you feel?
– Any player who’s been out of football for 4–5 months needs a certain level of confidence to return. Honestly, it was psychologically difficult. I regained my confidence through training. I’m especially thankful to our head coach Rashad Sadygov for giving me that trust. We put up a solid fight against such a strong opponent. Considering I hadn’t played for a while and my first match back was against a team like Hajduk, I’m satisfied with my performance.
– It was expected that you would leave Zira during the summer break. What convinced you to stay?
– Naturally, there might have been some issues, but that’s all in the past now. I wouldn’t want to dwell on it. At present, I have a contract with Zira. We are all professionals. Considering my contract is still active, I have to give my best for this team.
– Once again you're facing a Croatian club. Should fans expect the same penalty performance from you as last year?
– If the match goes into extra time like last year, we’ll try to take advantage of penalties. I’ll do my best not to disappoint.
– The 8th Kilometer Stadium isn’t your regular home ground. Did you feel uncomfortable playing there?
– No, I didn’t feel it was unfamiliar. Zira’s sports complex isn’t suitable for hosting European matches. That’s why I’d like to thank the Neftchi management for allowing us to play here. Whether it’s Zira or Neftchi, we were playing in Azerbaijan – in our home. Over 30,000 fans will support the opponent in the away match. I also want to thank every Azerbaijani fan who came to support us today.
– How do you assess your chances in the return leg?
– The first match ended in a draw. We could have won today. The result could have gone either way. I think the presence of the fans won’t have a major impact on our next match. Since we held them to a draw here, we’ll definitely try to win in the away game. I don’t believe the crowd factor will significantly affect the outcome.
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