Idman.biz
"We started the match well. We successfully countered the opponent's counter-attacks and we were the first to open the scoring."
Idman.Biz reports that this was said by the captain of the Azerbaijan national team, Emin Mahmudov.
The experienced midfielder shared his thoughts on the match they lost 1:3 to France in the qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup:
"After opening the scoring, we tried to score the second goal, but it didn't work out. The opponent showed their level and quality. They did not allow us to build counter-attacks. They scored goals after increasing the pressure. We conceded goals one after another in the first half. I can't attribute this to a lack of strength, it's just that the opponent's quality is very high. They are also a physically strong team, so it was a bit difficult for us."
According to Mahmudov, the players in the team play believing in each other:
"We all try to help each other. Sometimes it doesn't work out, but there is progress. We play better in defense. It's true, we are losing, and that's the only problem."
The player also touched upon the fact that some of his teammates have little chance to play in their clubs:
"Actually, this is a big problem. We don't have many players anyway, and we want the players to play more in their clubs. Fatigue is felt in the second half because they play little in their clubs. There are also young players in the squad. If they play regularly, they will help us a lot in the future."
Emin Mahmudov stated that his substitution in recent matches was due to an injury: "I didn't risk playing 90 minutes because I could get injured again. I haven't trained much lately. If I wait a little longer, my injury will heal completely. I need to take better care of myself so that I don't get injured."
