"Although we went on the attack, the opponent scored twice more with counterattacks."
It was stated by the head coach of the Azerbaijan national under-17 football team Ilham Yadullayev in a statement to AFFA.az regarding the matches of the second qualifying round of the European Championship held in Elbasan, Albania, Idman.biz reports.
The head coach first evaluated the first match against the hosts Albania (1:4) within the framework of the 6th group of the B League: "We were well prepared for the tournament. Both opponents were strong. Our first match was against the hosts Albania. We conceded an early goal from a set piece. The excitement was felt in the children at the start of the match. We equalized the game towards the end of the half. We started the second half with pressing on the front line and saw the results of this. After the equalizer, we wanted to continue the pressure up front. However, we conceded a second goal in a short time. After that, although we went on the attack, the opponent scored twice more with counterattacks."
Ilham Yadullayev said that the U-17 team played more confidently in the match (0:0) in which they drew with the Welsh team: "While Albania was a technically good team, Wales looked physically and tactically strong. The match was on an equal level. Our goalkeeper saved a penalty in the first half. This gave our players a boost of spirit. We had opportunities to score. The match was such that both teams could have won. Since the kids were not excited, they played more comfortably this time. I regret that we only scored 1 point in two games. However, we will do our best to achieve more successful results in the future."
Idman.biz
