Sport

One step closer to League C

After a not particularly successful home match against Liechtenstein, it was especially important for the Azerbaijani national team to redeem itself in front of its fans.

In the end, the team managed to do so at the right moment, playing an important match and claiming three points. Aykhan Abbasov fielded a lineup with three central defenders in the persons of Rahil Mammadov, Badavi Huseynov, and Rahman Dashdamirov, as well as two wingers, who were Tellur Mutallimov and Rufat Abbasov. They were able to drop back in case of the opponent's attacks and join attacks from the flanks. The main task was not to let the opponent's attacking line near Emil Balayev's goal, which in the end was accomplished. And if such moments did arise, the players managed to react at the last line of defense. The center of the field belonged to two Sabah players — Abdulla Khaybulayev and Aleksei Isaev. The main surprise was the appearance on the field from the first minutes of national team debutant Oruj Mammadov. The Shamakhi player was positioned in attack on the left. On the right was Toral Bayramov, and in the center Mahir Emreli.

One of the difficult aspects on the eve of this meeting was, naturally, the psychological one. After the draw with Liechtenstein, a barrage of criticism fell upon the players. On the one hand, in that match the team created chances and had opportunities; on the other hand, it was precisely the conversion of those chances that became the main obstacle on the way to three points. In such matches additional pressure inevitably arises — the players understand that missed chances can cost dearly in the tournament race. That is why the victory over Lithuania became important not only in terms of the result, but also psychologically: the team was able to recover quickly and prove that it is capable of handling pressure at the decisive moment. Khaybulayev's goal was the result of team play. Exactly the kind that the fans so want to see. In the second half, Vusal Isgandarli, Emil Safarov, Renat Dadashov, Jeyhun Nuriyev, and Elvin Badalov came onto the field. As we can see, it was not only the attack that was strengthened here, but also the defense.

It was necessary to contain the pressure of the guests that arose at times, whose passing, nevertheless, broke down at the most important moment. The Azerbaijani national team, for its part, repeatedly managed to break away on counterattacks, using both the center of the field and the flanks. The players could have scored a second goal as well, but luck was lacking. Once again, conversion came to the fore, this time not preventing the team from claiming the important three points. This match had everything. Both the struggle, and the arguments with the referee, and the intensity. In the end, the war of nerves was won by the hosts. Even before the match, both teams understood the price of a mistake. This victory significantly improved our national team's position in the group. Now the situation is shaping up in such a way that everything depends on Azerbaijan itself. To accomplish its task, the team has one last step to take — to beat Liechtenstein in the away match. Then the outcome of the meeting between Lithuania and Liechtenstein will no longer matter.

AYKHAN ABBASOV

HEAD COACH OF THE AZERBAIJANI NATIONAL TEAM

I am glad that we won today. The team showed character. This is a good foundation for the future. In November, two matches await us. We want to finish this year without defeats. We had opportunities to score even more, but we lose the ball in the opponent's penalty area. It will take time to fix this. We spoke with the team before the match. All of this provides an opportunity to work fruitfully in the future.

Aykhan Abbasov noted the team's reaction to what happened in the previous match. The team reacted correctly and pulled itself together. Just as it did after conceding a goal in Kaunas. This is a very important trait, because thanks to it, the national team finally, after a long break, won an official match. In the end, the victory over Lithuania became not only an important result from a tournament standpoint, but also an opportunity to regain the fans' trust.

EDGARAS JANKAUSKAS

HEAD COACH OF THE LITHUANIAN NATIONAL TEAM

There was a real battle on the field, as two equal teams were playing. Unfortunately, we were unable to score. The Azerbaijani national team, however, used its chance. There were moments in the game that I do not want to touch upon. The decision has already been made. I congratulate our opponent on the victory.

Now a decisive away trip lies ahead. If Azerbaijan can beat Liechtenstein, the team will achieve the necessary result without looking back at the other match. This will not be just another match, but an opportunity to take a kind of revenge for the first game, when a huge number of created chances never turned into goals. This time our national team must take advantage of its chances and see the job through to victory.