Azerbaijan national team player Bahlul Mustafazada spoke to journalists after their 1:1 home draw against Ukraine in the 2026 World Cup qualifying group match.
Idman.biz, citing Sportnet.az, presents the interview:
Even though temporary, you earned a point under a local head coach. What changed?
The coach came in and first of all, tried to restore our confidence. We talked a lot about this. We didn’t have much chance to train together as a team, so the coach chose this approach. I think his discussions had a positive effect on the team, and we tried to show that on the field.
Was the reason you couldn’t show this determination and will in previous games the former head coach?
I don’t want to talk about that. Our previous coach (Fernando Santos) has already left, so it wouldn’t be ethical to blame him. I can say that Aykhan Abbasov came, he knows the players well, and that had an effect. We will prepare for the upcoming games to perform even better.
Putting motivation aside, what were your thoughts before the game? How did you analyze the opponent?
After the heavy defeat away, it was hard to recover. Our coach Aykhan Abbasov worked a lot on this and helped us regroup. In a short time, we analyzed Ukraine and organized ourselves as a team. On the field, everyone knew what to do and tried their best to overcome past results.
During halftime, what discussions did Aykhan Abbasov have with you?
He gave us some details about the opponent team, told us to keep playing, and reassured us that we had a chance. We tried our best to follow his instructions.
Historically, local coaches like Boyukaga Hajiyev and later Gurban Gurbanov have been successful in leading Azerbaijan in European competitions. Don’t you think the national team should continue with a local head coach?
Actually, it’s not my place to say. As I mentioned, Aykhan Abbasov knows the players better than foreign coaches and understands their mentality. Overall, it’s difficult for me to give an opinion on this.
Overall, did Aykhan Abbasov’s system feel comfortable for you, or was it difficult to adapt?
Even in a short time, he worked hard to communicate his ideas to the team. I think it went very well. The players knew their positions on the field, and overall it had a positive effect.
Would you like to continue under Aykhan Abbasov?
Of course. Why not?!
Idman.biz
