OMM Newsroom
Azerbaijan’s U-15 head coach Famil Khalilov has spoken about the team’s performance at the FIFA U-15 World Cup. He said they had hoped for a better result, but the players were unable to recover psychologically after a heavy defeat.
“We tried to prepare them for the game, but we still saw gaps at certain moments. Our goal was to achieve the best possible result in the group, face stronger teams and identify the players’ shortcomings,” Khalilov said.
The head coach emphasized that the players are talented. According to him, the 14- and 15-year-olds were taking part in a tournament of this kind for the first time, and some had never travelled abroad. Khalilov said playing their 10th match in six days had put them under considerable pressure.
Need for international experience
Khalilov said Azerbaijan played well against Australia, Haiti and Chile, but opponents capitalized on gaps caused by the team’s lack of experience. He said the players need to take part in more international tournaments and matches against strong opponents, while clubs should organize more tournaments for children.
The head coach said AFFA’s leadership had supported the team. He said they would work on the shortcomings and seek to prepare the players for the qualifying stage of the next U-17 European Championship.
At the tournament held in Baku, Azerbaijan lost to Afghanistan and finished in 84th place. The World Cup will conclude today at Baku Crystal Hall with the final, awards ceremony and closing ceremony.
