"I think it would have been more beneficial if our national team had played against serious opponents in this tournament. In that case, we could have seen the weaknesses and strengths of our team. In my opinion, this tournament will not significantly benefit us. We must try to play against stronger national teams for comprehensive development".
These words were said by Rahid Amirguliyev, a former member of the Azerbaijani national team.
R. Amirguliyev shared his thoughts on the Azerbaijani national team's game against Sierra Leone as part of the "FIFA Series - 2026" tournament.
"Today, our national team's opponent, Sierra Leone, is a more serious opponent than Saint Lucia. I think the game will be interesting. I hope that our team will continue its winning streak," he said in a statement to futbolinfo.az.
Amirguliyev also touched upon the game in which Aykhan Abbasov's team defeated the Saint Lucia team with a score of 6:1:
"I congratulate our national team, a victory is a victory. It was even a big score. I hope it continues. But the opponent was very weak. I would say that it was the weakest team our national team has ever faced. The opponent also had to be chosen differently in order to see any changes in our national team. This was not a game, it was as if our national team had gone out for training. Therefore, I could not see any changes, what our national team is capable of".