Idman.biz
"Winning a silver medal in the first tournament we participated in is a great result, and I highly appreciate this achievement. Our team fought very well in the tournament. I was pleased with the game and determination shown by the girls. They fought to the end and showed great perseverance."
These words were said by Farrukh Mahmudov, Vice-President of the Azerbaijan Basketball Federation (ABF), while talking about the silver medal won by the women's 3x3 basketball team at the FIBA Champions Cup held in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand.
Recalling that their main goal was to get out of the group, the ABF official said that the team did not lose heart despite losing to the strong Canadian team in the first game:
"In the second match, we maintained our chances of getting out of the group by defeating the host Thailand team. Our decisive game in the group stage was against one of our main rivals, the Spanish national team. The opponent, the silver medalist of the Paris-2024 Summer Olympic Games, participated in the tournament with the same squad that competed in the Olympics. By defeating the Spaniards, our team also took revenge for the defeat in the Olympics, and we qualified for the semi-finals by getting out of the group. The victories we achieved in the group against the Spanish national team, and in the semi-finals against the US team, which is considered the creator of basketball, are very important and valuable results for us," he said in a statement to AZERTAC.
F.Mahmudov said that the opponent played more accurately in the final match:
"In the decisive stage, we faced the Netherlands national team, which is considered one of the favorites of the tournament. The opposing team's more accurate shots from long distance decided the fate of the match. As a result, the Netherlands won. In my opinion, this factor was the main point that determined the fate of the game."
It should be noted that the winner of the three-day tournament won a license to the Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
