Aykhan Abbasov became the first Azerbaijani coach to lead the national football team to victory over San Marino.
As reported by İdman.Biz, the achievement was recorded in a friendly match held on June 9 in Szombathely, Hungary. Azerbaijan defeated San Marino 2-1 thanks to goals from Rahman Dashdamirov and Renat Dadashov.
Prior to this match, Azerbaijan had faced San Marino twice and won on both occasions. However, those victories came under foreign coach Robert Prosinečki of Croatia.
The first win over San Marino was secured on September 4, 2016, away from home during the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Azerbaijan won 1-0, with Ruslan Gurbanov scoring the only goal of the match.
One year later, on September 4, 2017, the teams met again in the same qualifying campaign, this time in Baku. Under Prosinečki, Azerbaijan recorded an emphatic 5-1 victory. Afran Ismayilov scored twice, while Araz Abdullayev and Rashad Sadygov also found the net. Another goal came from a San Marino own goal.
As a result, Azerbaijan have now played San Marino three times and won all three encounters. However, Tuesday's victory was the first achieved under the guidance of a local coach.
Against this backdrop, Azerbaijan's history against Malta is particularly noteworthy. Unlike San Marino, Malta remain a team that Azerbaijan have never beaten under an Azerbaijani manager.
The first such meeting took place on April 19, 1994, when Azerbaijan, coached by Agasalim Mirjavadov, suffered a 5-0 defeat in a friendly match.
On February 6, 2000, the sides met in the Rothmans Tournament. Azerbaijan, led by Ahmad Alasgarov and Asgar Abdullayev, lost 3-0.
Another defeat against Malta under a local coach came on April 17, 2002, when Vagif Sadygov's team was beaten 1-0 in a friendly.
In 2018, Azerbaijan faced Malta twice in the UEFA Nations League under Gurban Gurbanov. Both matches ended in 1-1 draws — away on September 10 and in Baku on October 14.
The most recent meeting took place on June 5 this year in Szombathely. Azerbaijan, coached by Abbasov, lost 2-0.
Overall, Azerbaijan have beaten Malta twice in their history, but both victories came under foreign coaches. In 2013, Berti Vogts guided the team to a 3-0 friendly win, while in 2015 Prosinečki's side claimed a 2-0 victory in UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying.
Therefore, Aykhan Abbasov has become the first local coach in Azerbaijan national team history to defeat either San Marino or Malta. At the same time, Malta remain the only one of these two opponents that Azerbaijan have never beaten under the leadership of an Azerbaijani manager.
