“The Slovak national team was a strong opponent, and it was known that the match would be difficult.”
This was stated by Arif Asadov, former coach of the Azerbaijan national team, in an interview with Idman.biz. He commented on the match in which Azerbaijan lost 1-3 to Slovakia in the IV round of the Nations League in Baku.
The experienced specialist noted that the opponent is not only the favorite of the match but also of the group: “After the defeat against Estonia, the psychological state of our national team was not good at all. This was evident until the unexpected goal we conceded in the first half. However, the team managed to regroup and took control. We even succeeded in equalizing the score towards the end of the first half. But in the second 45 minutes, there was a tactical change, moving from a five-man defense to a four-man defense. We tried to create a little more advantage in the midfield by bringing Emin Mahmudov into the game. However, the turning point of the match was Mahir Emreli receiving a red card.”
Asadov pointed out that Mahir should have been substituted before his dismissal: “He already had a yellow card, and he was not in top physical condition, so he was tired. This was a situation that needed to be considered. The coaches should have made a substitution. Perhaps if Mahir had been replaced by Renat Dadashov, the red card would not have happened. Fighting against the opponent with only ten men was quite difficult for our national team. Because of all this, we conceded the second and third goals and ultimately lost the match. Our psychological state is not good. We need to focus on not finishing last in the group to avoid relegation to League D. We must strive to earn maximum points in the last matches, and for that, we need to prepare thoroughly.”
Azerbaijan will play its next match against Estonia on November 16. The match will take place at the Gabala City Stadium.
Idman.biz
