Shamakhi defender Rufat Abbasov spoke to Idman.biz following his team’s 2–0 win over Kapaz in Matchday 31 of the Azerbaijan Premier League.
- You defeated Kapaz 2–0 in Matchday 31. How would you assess the game?
- We knew it would be a tough match. There was only a 3-point gap between us and Kapaz, and we were playing at home. We really wanted to make our fans happy—and we managed to do that with a win.
- Do you think you can repeat that success in Tovuz?
- Right now the team is resting. We’ll regroup after two days. Tovuz away games are always difficult. We’ll go into the match against Turan Tovuz focused on executing the coach’s game plan and fighting for a win. It’s going to be a challenging game.
- Shamakhi currently sits seventh in the table. What do you think are the reasons behind being in the lower half?
- I’d say our position is understandable. At the start of the season, the goal was simply to stay in the Premier League. But we’re not satisfied with just surviving. We want to climb higher if we can. As you know, we’re the lowest-budget team in the league, but we’ve held our own against clubs with far bigger resources. We’ve shown strong performances, and we’ll continue pushing for wins in the final five matches.
- What are your plans for the future? Are you considering a move to another club soon?
- I still have a contract with Shamakhi for next season, and I feel happy here.
- How would you describe the current state of the Premier League?
- This season has been incredibly competitive. There’s intense pressure both at the top and the bottom of the table. Everyone’s fighting hard, especially for European competition spots. I believe the league is improving year by year.
Idman.biz
