Sport24.az
The Azerbaijan national futsal team, consisting of players under 19, defeated Kosovo in their first match of the European Championship preliminary round today. Sport24.az reports that Adalat Alakbarov, a member of our team who scored a double and stood out with his determined play in the match that ended with a score of 4:1, gave an interview to azfutzal.az.
- Share your impressions of the game...
- It was a difficult match. We knew why we came here. When we were in Baku, the federation leadership noted the importance of passing the stage in a meeting with the team. Of course, we had to justify this trust.
- It seemed like there were two different halves. What did the head coach instruct to pay attention to during the break?
- We arrived in San Marino yesterday. Of course, traveling so far and then going to training caused some fatigue. The coaches did their best to prepare us well for the game. Fatigue had some effect in the first half. But we were able to recover during the break. I wouldn't say we were nervous. True, we were participating in such a game for the first time. In the second half, we almost gave them no chance. We won a necessary, important victory. Now we have to continue this. We have only done half the job. The match with San Marino is a more important game.
- This went down in history as the first victory of U-19. How did the statistics affect motivation?
- We may be 12 futsal players here, but we represent a victorious country like 10 million Azerbaijanis. Only victories suit our beautiful country. We are very happy that we managed to do this. But we must not relax.
- You scored a double. After both goals, you drew attention with a special gesture. To whom did you dedicate these goals?
- I held up the first letter of my deceased father's name - M (his father's name is Mazahir). I had promised in advance, even told my family - my mother, brother, sister - that if I scored a goal, I would make this gesture. Thank God, first of all, we won and I achieved my wish. No child can lose or forget the suffering of a parent.
- The next opponent is the host San Marino. You have watched their game. What would you like to note about this opponent?
- The name of the opponent changes for us, but the approach to the game and discipline will be in place. We won today. We have to forget about it now. Because the second game is also important. To achieve the goal, we must leave the field victorious. San Marino is the host, they will play in front of their fans. We will also remain true to our playing style, we will do everything to win.
