"After the defeat to Iceland, it was difficult to focus on this match."
Idman.biz reports that Azerbaijani national team player Jeyhun Nuriyev said this in an interview with AZERTAC, commenting on Azerbaijan’s 1-1 draw at home against Ukraine in the second round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
He noted that they earned a deserved point: “We believed we could get a point against Ukraine. My teammates fought with determination.”
The 24-year-old midfielder also spoke about the former head coach Fernando Santos and interim coach Aykhan Abbasov: “It wouldn’t be true to say there was no confidence in the team under Santos. It’s just that nothing worked against Iceland. Aykhan Abbasov tried to make an impact in a short time, and I thank him for that.”
Nuriyev said the point would motivate the team in upcoming matches: “This point was very important for us. I’d say the team can perform well against other opponents too. The match against Ukraine showed that we can compete with such teams.”
Azerbaijan, in Group D, currently sits last with 1 point.
Idman.biz
