Azernews.Az

Azerbaijan’s U-21 national football team head coach, Ayxan Abbasov, expressed his satisfaction with his team's 2-0 victory over Moldova in a friendly match held in Antalya, Turkiye. Speaking to AFFA’s press service, Abbasov discussed the significance of the win and the preparations for the upcoming challenges, Azernews reports.

“We were all pleased to win the first game,” Abbasov said, noting that the players were familiar with each other, although some had played together for the first time.

“I believe this initial training camp will be beneficial for us. In two days, we will play against North Macedonia. Playing games in a short period is very important. We need to be prepared for the upcoming official matches,” he added.

Abbasov also highlighted the opportunity to get to know some players more closely during the Moldova match.

“In this game, I had the chance to observe some of the players more closely. Of course, we will continue with the selection process, and new players will be invited to the next camp. I believe that during the summer preparation period, we will improve as a team.”

The coach also addressed the importance of players getting more playing time with their clubs, especially after noticing certain shortcomings in the match against Moldova.

“We did feel some shortcomings, especially when we saw that some players have limited playing time with their clubs,” Abbasov said.

“I have told them that they must work harder to earn regular playing time at their clubs. Regardless of the opponent, we cannot accept defeat on the field. The fact that our team fought until the end against Moldova made us happy. We want to see the same fighting spirit in the upcoming matches.”

Looking ahead, Azerbaijan’s U-21 team will face North Macedonia in another friendly match on March 25 as part of their preparation for future competitions.