Orkhan Mammadov: "We achieved a historic victory"

"We had faith because our team had shown perseverance until this day. Before the game, I said that it was necessary to be calm. The opponent was the world champion. However, we were not far behind them."

Idman.biz reports that the president of the Azerbaijan Minifootball Federation, Orkhan Mammadov, said these words in his statement to Futbolxeber.az, commenting on the victory over Romania in the 1/8 finals of the World Championship.

He emphasized that our national team achieved a historic victory: "There was some tension in the team in the first half. But the boys came to their senses after the break. Especially in the penalties, self-confidence was created. I think we won a historic victory. We defeated the world champions. However, we must not be complacent. More serious games await us."

The President of the Federation noted that the victory of our national team was well-deserved: "Of course, the penalty shootout is a lottery. We lost to Kazakhstan in the penalty shootout in the 1/4 finals of the last European Championship. This time we prepared for penalties, both psychologically and technically. Our national team won a well-deserved victory with perseverance and hard work."

O. Mammadov also shared his thoughts on the next stage opponent: "A more difficult game awaits us. The English national team is a strong opponent. In general, there is no easy opponent in the 1/4 finals. We have hope for the team. We are playing in front of our native fans. This is a slight advantage."

The head of the Minifootball Federation appealed to the fans: "I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the fans and fan clubs. The hall was bursting with enthusiasm. All tickets were sold a few hours before the game. This shows the people's love for minifootball and the Azerbaijani national team. I would like the fans to give our team such great support in the match with England."

"Last year, the Zira football club, which you headed, won the penalty shootout in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League. Were you more excited in that match or in the match against Romania?" He answered the question as follows: "I remember that meeting. Thanks to the victory, we advanced to the play-off stage. It's the same feeling. The only difference is that there is not much time to rejoice here. You have to think about the next matches. It is worth loving and developing football for such victories."

Idman.biz