Ayxan Abbasov: "The point we gained will give the team extra strength, it would not be right to bring in a coach from outside"

The first point gained by the Azerbaijani national team will give the team extra strength.

Idman.biz reports that Aykhan Abbasov, who is temporarily acting as the head coach of the Azerbaijani national football team, said this at a press conference after the match against Ukraine in the qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup.

"We tried to show our true strength on the field. There has been discouragement in the team for a long time. Perhaps the players were performing under pressure. Hopefully, this point we have gained will give the team extra strength. We had very little time. We tried to improve the psychological state of the team. We also had limited time to analyze the opponent. Until then, I was preparing the U-21 for the qualifying matches of the European Championship. After the sudden decision, I joined the players' training at "Dagla Arena" and witnessed how "scattered" they were. We were trying to make them forget the 0:5 defeat to Iceland."

The head coach spoke about his appointment as a coach for the main team:

"We spoke with the AFFA leadership. It would not be right to bring in a coach from outside in one day. We, as the coaches of the team, are trying to help our nation in a difficult situation."

It should be noted that the Azerbaijan-Ukraine match, which took place at the Tofig Bahramov stadium, ended in a 1:1 draw.