OMM Newsroom
Neftchi beat Kapaz 1-0 in the 11th round of the Misli Premier League. At a post-match news conference, head coach Yuri Vernidub congratulated the Azerbaijani people on Victory Day, wished peace for Azerbaijan and expressed hope that Ukraine would also be free and victorious.
Substitutions and national teams
Vernidub said that a substitute scoring in a second consecutive match was the result of planned changes. He said he had told Skribek before the game that he would not be in the starting lineup and that the players had been given time to rest. The head coach said he was satisfied with the options on the bench.
Neftchi will face Araz-Nakhchivan on an artificial surface in Shamakhi in the next round. Vernidub said playing on that pitch would not be a problem. According to him, Shamakhi and Yevlakh have the Premier League’s artificial-surface pitches, and he would like all teams to play in good stadiums.
The head coach said three of Neftchi’s foreign players and four Azerbaijani players had been called up to their national teams. He wished the players an injury-free return, success for the Azerbaijan national team in finishing first in its group, and good results for his foreign players.
On Mahmudov and Safarov
Vernidub described Emin Mahmudov’s decision to end his career with the Azerbaijan national team as difficult but worthy of respect. He stressed that Mahmudov was a key player and captain at Neftchi, had played many matches for the club and had helped him with both team-related and personal matters. The coach said he wanted the player to stay at the club longer and added that, if Mahmudov ended his playing career, he could work as a manager or coach. In Vernidub’s view, Mahmudov had written his name in gold letters in Neftchi’s history.
Speaking about Emil Safarov, the head coach said the player needed to work harder to return to his previous form. He said Safarov was important to Neftchi and that the club had not signed him without good reason.
