Elkhan Abdullayev, head coach of Azerbaijan Under-19 team, expressed his views to the AFFA press service regarding the matches in Malta played within the UEFA Under-19 Championship qualifying round.
Head coach attributed the defeat within a large score to Czechia (1-6) in the first match in Group 13 to the strength of the opponent and the red card: “Unfortunately, we could not get out of the group. But there are certain reasons for this. We played three different games. Even before the tournament, Czechia was considered the favorite team in the group. They really showed that they performed at a high level. We played the first match against the Czechs. The opponent was already strong. Moreover, Hikmet Jabrailzada received a red card in the 75th minute, which made our work even more difficult. After being outnumbered, we conceded 3 goals. Hikmet was one of our leading players. His missing the next two matches also had a great impact on our game.”
E.Abdullayev also evaluated the matches against Northern Ireland (0-1) and Malta (2-1): “Although we lost to Northern Ireland in the second match, we fought with them on an equal footing. Our team played well, created scoring chances. Unfortunately, we could not evaluate it. The players played well in the last match against Malta. The opponent was not weak at all, and moreover, they were playing on their home field. Our team was tired. At the same time, the players' motivation was low because we lost in the first two matches. Despite this, even though we lagged behind in score, we found strength in ourselves and won.”
Head coach said he was satisfied with the team's overall performance: “Overall, I was satisfied with the team's performance, even if not with the result. Because the players showed character. This squad has potential. We simply need to work harder together with the clubs to achieve a successful result.”
