OMM Redaksiyası
Azerbaijan national team footballer Emil Safarov has commented on the incident that led to a penalty during the team’s match against Lithuania in the first round of the UEFA Nations League.
He said Azerbaijan wanted to win away from home but that the match had not been easy. According to Safarov, a penalty should not have been awarded in the incident: “There was absolutely no penalty. If that was a penalty, I will quit football. I do not know why the incident was not reviewed by VAR. The referee told me that I had pulled the opponent by his shirt. However, he stepped on my foot.”
The national team player said he had struggled psychologically after the penalty decision: “I collapsed psychologically after the penalty decision. In fact, the opponent had committed the foul. I felt very bad.”
Safarov said head coach Ayhan Abbasov had told him at halftime that he was concerned he might receive a red card, and that he was substituted for this reason. The footballer stressed that his substitution was not related to footage circulating on social media.
The match between Lithuania and Azerbaijan ended in a 1-1 draw. Mahir Emreli scored Azerbaijan’s goal in the 14th minute.
