Report.az
The points lost at the beginning of the season cost Araz-Nakhchivan dearly.
The captain of the Nakhchivan team, Emin Kurdov, said this in an interview with Report.
He said that they faced points losses at the beginning of the season:
"At the start of the championship, we drew (2:2) with Baku Fire and lost (2:5) to Neftchi. Unfortunately, the 5 points we lost at that time are costing us dearly today, and we no longer have a chance to make mistakes."
The experienced goalkeeper also answered a question about the reason for not being in the squad in the first matches of the championship:
"The head coach was well aware of my potential and experience, and said that I had a great contribution to last year's championship, and wanted to check another goalkeeper."
The goalkeeper emphasized that one of his main rivals, Neftchi IK, has strengthened:
"We defeated the opponent 5:4 in the second round, but luck also played a role in the last match. Although we were ahead in the score, sudden mistakes and an own goal changed the situation. In the end, when we took a risk and attacked with the fifth player, we saw the fourth goal in our empty goal. It must be admitted that Neftchi IK is very strong at the moment, it has 6 Brazilian legionnaires in its squad, and they cannot be considered a weak opponent."
Finally, the national team member, touching on the championship race, said that they maintain optimism:
"Last year, even in a more difficult situation than this, we celebrated the championship. Now everything is in our hands, we do not depend on anyone's results. We have to go out on the field and line up victories. Our goal is to win the title of Azerbaijani champion for the 20th time."
It should be noted that in the match "Araz-Nakhchivan" – "Neftchi" IK, which took place in the XV round of the Azerbaijan Premier League, the Baku club won with a score of 4:2.
