Siyasat Asgarov, the head coach of the Azerbaijan women's national team, shared his thoughts with the AFFA.az website regarding their qualification for the play-offs of the UEFA Women’s European Qualifiers.
He mentioned that they will be up against one of the strong opponents at this stage: "Even though it was our first time in League B, it's a great achievement for us to qualify for the play-offs. I extend my congratulations to all the players who have been part of the team over the past year and a half. This success is the outcome of their dedication and hard work. There are no weak opponents in the play-offs. We will be facing one of the six top-rated teams, meaning we'll be up against strong competition. I'm glad that Azerbaijan’s flag will be represented in the play-off stage. Our national team has already made history by advancing to the B League, and we now aim to create another historic moment by performing successfully in the play-offs."
Siyasat Asgarov also evaluated the 0-3 defeat to the Swiss team at the Olympique de la Pontaise Stadium in Lausanne during the final round of the group stage: "The significant loss to Hungary in Baku had an inevitable impact on the team. It was challenging to prepare for the away match with Switzerland following such a result. Until now, Switzerland has always competed in League A. Nonetheless, we aimed to secure points on the trip. The team gave their best effort. However, the high quality of the opponent led to mistakes, resulting in an unavoidable defeat."
It should be noted that the drawing ceremony for the first playoff round will be held on July 19. Potential opponents of the Azerbaijan national team include Portugal, Scotland, Wales, Ukraine, Northern Ireland, and Serbia.
