"It's sad to think about. We had chances in both games. But we scored goals in the last minutes."
Idman.biz reports that this was said by the Qarabag head coach of Gurban Gurbanov.
The experienced specialist evaluated the defeat by German Bayer in the Europa League round of 16. Returning to Baku today, Gurbanov said in an interview at the Heydar Aliyev International Airport that although they stopped fighting in the European Cup, they achieved a lot: "I thank my footballers. At least this year, as a team, we pleased our fans by showing good football. We wanted to go one step further. But we had a very serious opponent in front of us. Being outnumbered late in the game also made a difference. Despite everything, our players fought well and endured until the end."
How would you rate the red card shown by English referee Anthony Taylor to Elvin Jafarguliyev in the 62nd minute?
- I watched the episodes. Perhaps it is not right to express an opinion, but the red card wasn’t appropriate to be given by the English judge. In the English Premier League, in that episode, perhaps, they don't award a free kick at all. There was a VAR decision, but he still had the say.
- Did you talk to Elvin about this?
- I didn't talk to anyone after the game. Because it would not be right for me to protest. After the game, everyone had different feelings, they were sad. For this reason, it would not be right to criticize someone. Still, they need to be careful and be able to play faster. In such games, even simple red cards happen. But in any case, I do not accept.
- Despite the fact that you were leading 2:0 in the match, the opponent made a comeback. How would you explain this?
- Here it is necessary to take into account the strength of the opponent. If we look at the games played by Bayer in the Bundesliga, we will see that they scored many goals in the last minutes. This is due to the endurance and proper formation of the team. Skill, physical strength, performing in such games all year round, etc. are all key factors. But we fought until the end.
- Information has been spread that there are some proposals for you and your players. What can you say about it?
- I am not thinking about moving to another team at the moment. Believe me, I don't care if someone is interested in me or not. I am very committed and loyal to my team.
- What is needed to go further?
- There are many things to be done. We have to work harder and think harder. We have always wanted to preserve the staff we have. But unfortunately, sometimes it doesn't work. This also benefited the team. Entering the "transfer market" of European football is a great success. If they are interested in our players, it will only benefit us in the future. We have done everything that depends on us. We always want to keep the necessary players.
- Will it not be difficult to tune in to the Azerbaijan Championship after that?
- No, we have played like this for years. It's just that going to Tovuz will be a bit difficult. We will think about the next one.
- Is the search for an alternative player continuing?
- We have always thought in this area. We may spend less time on this issue at times. But we are negotiating about it throughout the year.
It should be noted that Qarabag lost 2:3 in the match organized at BayArena in Leverkusen and finished the European Cup season.
Banuchichek Huseynli
Idman.biz
