Aqil Nabiyev, the head coach of the Azerbaijan national under-16 football team, spoke about the first match (1:0) against the Tajikistan team within the framework of the III CIS Games. Sport24.az reports that the head coach said that they dedicated the victory to our martyrs and veterans who sacrificed their lives for the liberation of our lands:
"We dedicate this victory to the families of martyrs and our veterans. As you know, September 27 is Remembrance Day. I always instill in my players that we are representatives of a victorious nation. Our heads are held high, and our foreheads are open. We are proud to live in such a country. Our martyrs and veterans liberated our lands from occupation at the cost of their blood. I also tell the players that we represent the name of Azerbaijan. Just as they raised our flag, we must continue this."
Aqil Nabiyev said that the team fought hard:
"We prepared very seriously for the game. We know how important the competition is for us. Today we faced one of the best teams in the tournament. We analyzed several games of the Tajikistan team. They recently drew with the Russian team. They are an aggressive, fast-running, fighting, and technically skilled team. We had problems with the squad due to injuries. Nevertheless, our team fought correctly. Scoring a goal after homework also shows this. Our players showed character. It was important to start the tournament with a victory. I congratulate my team, fans, and the football community."
He emphasized that they also want to win the match against the Kyrgyzstan team on October 1 within Group A:
"We have three days until the next meeting. We will also go out to win the match against Kyrgyzstan. Our goal is to reach the final and become champions. We have the strength to do this. We just need to be more careful in the upcoming matches. For example, today we missed 4-5 hundred percent goal chances. We will try to eliminate the shortcomings in the final blows."