“After the heavy defeat to Iceland, yesterday we saw a more determined team on the field,” said Arif Asadov in an interview with Sport24.az.
The former coach of the Azerbaijan national team shared his thoughts on our team’s match against Ukraine in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Idman.biz reports.
The experienced specialist noted that the Ukrainian team is a strong opponent competing for first and second place in the group: “That’s why it was more important to get a result than just play well in this match, and we managed to do that. Although the territorial advantage was with the opponent, our team defended properly and didn’t leave gaps. Aykhan Abbasov managed to mentally prepare the players for the game in a short period. The team was well-prepared and followed the instructions. After the match against Iceland, the AFFA leadership took the right step and quickly made a decision. Fernando Santos was sent away, and although temporarily, the post was assigned to Aykhan Abbasov. They managed to change the atmosphere within the team. Perhaps without this, we could have faced another fiasco. Our local coaches are better at raising the players’ morale. This is one of the most important factors in the national team. Although we may lag behind in skill level compared to the opponent, our determination earned us a point yesterday. Congratulations for securing that point.”
The Azerbaijan vs. Ukraine match held at Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium ended in a 1-1 draw.
Idman.biz
