Sport24.az
After the "FIFA Series-2026" tournament final match between Azerbaijan and Sierra Leone (1:1, penalties 9:8), the national team's head coach Aykhan Abbasov answered journalists' questions. Sport24.az reports that the specialist first shared his thoughts on the meeting:
– I thank the fans. They supported us. We knew the games would be different. We made mistakes in the first half, and there was not enough aggression in the attack. The opponent caught us on a counterattack and scored. In the second half, we had to defend well and increase the effectiveness of our attacks. In the end, we equalized the score. The penalty shootout was interesting. We are happy to have won the tournament. This game gave us signals. As opponents get stronger, we also have to improve. We will look at future games. We have two friendly games ahead. With this, we will try to prepare for the League of Nations.
– We became champions for the first time, and we won on penalties for the first time. I wanted to know your thoughts on your first penalty experience…
– It's not the first time. In the cup, when I worked at "Sumgayit," we passed "Qarabag" in a penalty shootout. Football players checked penalties in training. Today's series is also an experience. This game will be useful for the national team.
– What experience did this tournament give to the national team?
– It's a FIFA tournament. Liechtenstein, one of our opponents, was also fighting here. They had weaker teams in their group, and the weak one won. In this gathering, there were new names in the national team, and they were tested. We are working on a certain system. Hopefully, we will see its benefits.
– After two games, has the optimal squad for the League of Nations been approximately formed?
–
Certain ideas are emerging. There is still time before the tournament. Injuries can make our job difficult at that time.
– Have you watched the Lithuania and Liechtenstein national teams?
– We are analyzing both teams. Lithuania is a strong team. They perform very well at home. I think the chances are equal with them. We will try to achieve maximum results.
– What signals did you get from this game?
– In both games, the player who came on later changed the game. They don't get discouraged, they are very eager. It was felt that there was competition in the national team. This will give a boost for the future. We watched many football players closely. I believe there will be new players who will surprise us.
– There is Sadiq Bagiyev in Russia. He was recently selected as the best football player in "Torpedo". Not only him, but are there any other players you are watching? If there is a football player you like, can the passport issue be resolved immediately?
– If we like someone, there will be no problem. Candidate football players are also being watched for our U-21 national team. We called Sadiq Bagiyev to the U-21 national team. But there were some issues, he could get a legionnaire status, so he refused. We also want to help those who want to play here.
