Vagif Javadov: Fernando Santos is to blame for the defeat against Iceland

The main culprit for the Azerbaijani national team's 0:5 defeat to Iceland in the 2026 World Cup qualifying round is head coach Fernando Santos.

Idman.biz reports that this was stated by former national team player Vagif Javadov in his statement to "Report".

The former striker emphasized that there is no mental adaptation in the team: "We have been seeing consecutive defeats for more than a year. We even lost in friendly matches. In my opinion, there is no mental adaptation. It is obvious that the players do not understand the head coach. In the time of Carlos Alberto Torres and Berti Vogts, there were different requirements. Today, it is necessary to work more with the national team. Maybe he couldn't convey his thoughts to the players. But this is the weakness of the head coach, and he is the main culprit for the defeat."

The expert believes that the abolition of the legionnaire limit in the 2025/2026 season also played a role in this result: "Looking at the situation of both the head coach and the players, such a result was expected. We have been heading towards this for months. Also, the abolition of the limit leads to this. It is true that each of the players in the squad plays for their clubs. But the removal of the limit leads to a decrease in the head coach's choice. I think that with such continuity, it will be even worse."

It should be noted that the Iceland-Azerbaijan match held yesterday ended with a 5:0 victory for the home team. The team will play its next match in this stage against the Ukrainian national team in Baku on September 9.

İdman.biz