Arif Asadov: It was important to get a result in the Ukraine match, we managed to do it

"After the heavy defeat to the Icelandic national team, yesterday we saw a more determined team on the field." These words were said by Arif Asadov in an interview with Sport24.az.

Idman.biz reports that the former coach of the Azerbaijani national team shared his thoughts on the match against Ukraine in the qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup.

The experienced specialist stated that the Ukrainian national team is a strong opponent, fighting for 1st-2nd places in the group: "Therefore, in this meeting, it was more important to get a result than to play well, which we managed to do. Although the opponent had territorial advantage, our team defended correctly and did not give gaps. Aykhan Abbasov managed to prepare the players psychologically for the game in a short time. The team was well tuned for the game and carried out the given tasks. After the match with the Icelandic national team, the AFFA leadership took the right step and made a decision quickly. Fernandu Santush was dismissed, and Aykhan Abbasov was temporarily assigned to the post. They were able to change the atmosphere in the team. Perhaps, if it hadn't been like this, we could have experienced another fiasco. Our local coaches are better at raising the morale of the players. This is one of the most important factors in the national team. Although we were behind the opponent in terms of skill level, thanks to perseverance, we were able to add points to our assets yesterday. Congratulations on the one point earned."

It should be noted that the Azerbaijan-Ukraine match, which took place at the Tofig Bahramov Republican Stadium, ended with a score of 1:1.

Idman.biz