Nadir Nabiyev: "We should rejoice in the victory, it will inspire the national team" - PHOTO

"If the national team has won, we should only rejoice in it. It is true that the opponents were not that strong, but victory is victory."

These words were said by Nadir Nabiyev, a former member of the Azerbaijani national team.

Speaking about the victory of the Azerbaijani national team in the "FIFA Series" tournament, the former striker said that it is not right to treat the two victories with irony.

"The main benefit of these games was that the coaches were able to see the gaps in the team. It should be noted that the national team had not been able to win for a long time. If we criticize the victory like this, what would we do if we lost. No matter how much we say that our rivals were weak, I believe that this victory will further inspire the national team," he said in a statement to qol.az.

N. Nabiyev said that it is too early to make a prediction about the performance of the Azerbaijani national team in the UEFA Nations League based on these games. He noted that Liechtenstein and Lithuania are not stronger than the Azerbaijani national team, but the games will not be easy:

"Our opponents are more serious teams than those in the "FIFA Series" tournament. We need to prepare more seriously for those games and achieve good results.

Looking at the recent games of both the Liechtenstein and Lithuanian national teams, we see that they have put up serious resistance to their opponents, and sometimes they have won. We can say in advance that these games will be difficult for us. The coaches do not have much choice. However, I consider our national team to be superior to both opponents. No matter what, we must get out of this group as leaders."

N. Nabiyev also said that after Aykhan Abbasov was appointed head coach of the national team, the desire to win and determination in the team have increased, which gives hope for good results:

"For several years, the national team has not performed successfully. Although we hoped that there would be good results after the arrival of Fernandu Santuş, it got even worse. After the arrival of Aykhan Abbasov, the most noticeable thing is the determination of the players on the field, and the fight until the last second."