"We participated in this tournament last year as well. It was interesting for me to see what we have achieved in a year."
Ilham Yadullayev, the head coach of the Azerbaijan U17 national football team, shared his thoughts on the ongoing Development Cup held in Minsk, Belarus, in an interview with the AFFA press service, Idman.biz reports.
Yadullayev highlighted that the team had an inspiring journey: "We had discussed the tournament with the team. In the first match against Russia, the players were nervous, but the team quickly gathered itself and focused on winning. As a result, we defeated Iran. This victory provided extra motivation for the match against Kazakhstan. In that game, our team showed real character. Even though we were behind in the first half, we controlled the match. We made some changes at halftime, and it paid off. It was also encouraging to see the new players proving themselves. I thank the players for fighting until the end."
Looking ahead, Yadullayev emphasized the team's determination for the upcoming third-place match against Uzbekistan on February 21: "Uzbekistan, like us, finished second in their group. They are a very strong team. Nevertheless, we will do our best to achieve a successful result."
In the U17 group stage, Azerbaijan lost to Russia (0:3), but won against Iran (1:0) and Kazakhstan (2:1).
Idman.biz
