Qurbanov says Lithuania match result is crucial for Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan U-18 head coach Mahmud Gurbanov has assessed the senior national team’s Nations League campaign and shared his expectations for today’s return match against Lithuania, which kicks off at 5 p.m.

Qurbanov said Azerbaijan still has a chance to finish the group stage in first place. He wished the team success and noted that the match would be difficult.

He said a win over Lithuania would allow the national team to prepare for its next match against Liechtenstein with greater confidence and keep alive its hopes of topping the group. Despite drawing at home with Liechtenstein, Qurbanov stressed that Azerbaijan still has a chance.

The head coach said the away match against Lithuania ended in a 1-1 draw and that Azerbaijan had played better than its opponent. However, he added that there was no need to make excuses for the result. Qurbanov identified the team’s failure to convert numerous scoring chances in the home match against Liechtenstein as the main problem and underlined the importance of today’s result.