Sport24.az
In the 23rd round of the First League, ambitious "Baku Sporting" was defeated by outsider "Shimal" and dropped to the 4th place in the tournament table. After the match, the team's head coach Royal Najafov gave an interview to Sport24.az.
- Many people expected you to win in the match against the outsider, but you unexpectedly lost to "Shimal." Would you share your thoughts on the game?
- It is not correct to evaluate opponents by looking at the tournament table. It is more difficult to play against teams at the bottom of the table. They also have goals, just like us. "Shimal" wants to stay in the First League. That's why we knew the game would be tense. In one of the episodes, we conceded a goal due to a moment of inattention. Despite this, we later took the lead, and we also had scoring opportunities, but we couldn't capitalize on them. Sometimes things just don't work out. Yesterday, sporting luck was not on our side either. I congratulate the opponent.
- After this defeat, your team dropped to 4th place. How do you assess the chance of getting second place again?
- Before the game, I told the players that if we win all 5 games, we can finish the season in 2nd place. Currently, there are 4 matches left, and our chance continues. The point difference with "Sabail," who is in 2nd place, is not big. Two weeks ago, we were second, then "Mingachevir," and now it's "Sabail." I hope that next week we will be in second place again.
- Will you stay in the team if you cannot qualify for the elite?
- I had 2-3 official offers in January, and calls are already coming for the new season. But I'm waiting for the end of the season, I don't want our attention to be distracted. "Baku Sporting" is a native team for me. If there is a separation, I will first talk to the club management. Huseyn muallim has done great things for the team. It is possible that they do not want to continue with us. These issues will be discussed at the end of the season.
- Some teams complain about the field where you play your home games. What can you say about this?
- Some of the teams that complain about our field do not have their own stadium. I say this very sincerely. If you don't have it yourself, it's not right to complain about someone else's field. We have our infrastructure and plan to improve it further in the future. Those who complained lost to us in a normal stadium. I am not one of those who resort to excuses in football. Excuse is an obstacle to success.
