A POOR MARK AGAIN

The Azerbaijani team has started a new qualifying round for the 2016 European football championship with a hurtful defeat.

Bulgaria's national squad was the first opponent that challenged the Azerbaijani team's aspiration to qualify for the Euro 2016 finals. The Bulgarian squad can be considered the main rival of our team in competition for the third place in the group, which will allow the team to compete for a place in the Euro 2016 finals.

After two friendly matches which ended in a scoreless draw with Uzbekistan (0:0) and a loss to Russia (0:4), the national team was expected to play with stronger will and greater effectiveness this time. Alas, the expectations of the fans have once again failed to materialise. A sinking feeling already appeared at the announcement of the team's starting line-up. Putting Ufuk Budak to the position of the right back was the first questionable decision of national team coach Berti Vogts; instead, he could have placed Ruslan Amircanov who looks much better at this position. Dmitriy Nazarov, another "naturalised" footballer, also played from the first minutes of the match and had to do a lot of work. Indeed, Vogts had divided the team players into two groups, namely, the attackers and the defenders. Centre midfielders Ruslan Abisov and Qara Qarayev made no attempt to support the attack, while wingers Vaqif Cavadov, Rufat Dadasov and Rauf Aliyev were far from the idea of helping the midfield. Thus, Nazarov had to perform the role of a link between the defence and the attack all by himself. However, it would be a mistake to expect that a newcomer to the national team would immediately lead the whole team. Besides, the team as a whole looked unconvincing on the pitch. The players seemed tired and unprepared, and played without enthusiasm.

As always, the Azerbaijani team was only active during the first 10 minutes. Rauf Aliyev and Rufat Dadasov failed to convert their 100-per cent chances to score, while a mistake in defence resulted in a goal to Kamran Agayev's net. Thanks to a spearing pass, Iliyan Mitsanski, who was left unattended on the left wing, managed to come vis-a-vis with the goalkeeper and left no chances for Kamran. The Bulgarians took the lead not only in scoring, but also in playing, and confidently controlled the game until the half time.

Having realised his mistake with the line-up, Vogts substituted Araz Abdullayev, who could play both on the flanks and in the centre, for Vaqif Cavadov after the half time. Due to this substitution, the team improved its possession of the ball and soon equalised following Nazarov's powerful strike from about 30 meters: the ball ricocheted off the ground and got into the net. Immediately after that, the pace of the play dropped considerably. Neither team dared attack with a large force. The Bulgarians occasionally tried their luck with long-range shots. When everybody had come to believe that the match would end in a draw, another blunder in defence resulted in the second goal to the Azerbaijani net. After a corner kick, none of the defenders touched the ball, and Ventsislav Hristov, who was standing at the far corner of the goal, calmly headed the ball into the net.

Thus, the Azerbaijani team, which aimed at reaching the finals of Euro 2016, lost 1:2 in the first match of the qualifying round, and at home at that.

With such a weak play, the national team of Azerbaijan will not be able to claim the third place in its qualifying group for Euro 2016. We have already got used to the fact that the national team, even when losing, shows a good performance. This time, however, none of the players could be remembered for their performance. Nor have we seen any particular saves by goalkeeper Kamran Agayev. He did not save his team when the Bulgarian striker got one-on-one with him, and he could have intercepted a corner kick that resulted in a goal, by coming out of the gate. Experienced Rasad Sadiqov was undistinguished either. Always noted for his reliable playing as a defender, this time Rasad made many mistakes. Perhaps the reason for this is the fatigue that has accumulated after playing for Qarabag in European competitions and the national championship. Naturalised Ufuk Budak has once again proved his uselessness. Rufat Dadasov and Ruslan Abisov displayed nothing memorable. Meanwhile, the performance of Qara Qarayev and Mahir Sukurov can be assessed in more positive terms. Two of the latter's accurate high crosses created scoring chances for his teammates, which failed to be utilized though, while Qara Qarayev left a favourable impression based on how he tackled his opponents.

Given the above, it is safe to say that matters will not be easy for head coach Berti Vogts. Until the end of the year, the national team of Azerbaijan will play three official matches: against Italy and Croatia in October and against Norway in November. Obtaining points in these matches would be tantamount to a sensation. Thus, it is unreasonable to expect the Azerbaijani team to succeed this year. Of course, the weak performance of the footballers played an important role in this failure. Vogts's complaints to the effect that the period of get-together was too short sound ridiculous. A training camp of any national team worldwide lasts for only 3-4 days, while the Azerbaijani team gets together for 10 days. It is for the sake of Berti Vogts that the national championship calendar has been changed beyond recognition.

However, even Vogts, who had promised to bring the national team of Azerbaijan through to the finals of Euro 2016, would not be able to achieve positive changes in the absence of sufficient capacity. Bulgaria's national team is also vying for the third place in the group and Azerbaijan, after losing to its main rival in the home match, has significantly reduced its chances.

AT FIRST HAND 

"I did not expect such poor play from the national team of Azerbaijan. We had been preparing for the game for more than a month and we had analysed the tactics of your team quite well. I would have been pleased even with one point."

Luboslav Penev, head coach of Bulgaria's national team

"We made two gross errors, and our competitor took advantage of them. We were playing with our rival on par for some 70 minutes. Then we had no strength left, and we made mistakes. There were certain difficulties with the defence. Several experienced players such as Vladimir Levin and Elnur Allahverdiyev were absent. I cannot achieve a high level of physical fitness of players within 10 days. Domestic championship matches are to be postponed during the European cup games. Therefore, I cannot raise their level in such a short period of time. I believed that we would win, but it was not so. Let us not forget that I can only use the players that are at my disposal."

Berti Vogts, head coach of Azerbaijan's national team

"If we lose to Bulgaria at home, then our claims are unfounded. The wrong choice of tactics is the main reason for defeat. Vogts said that 10 days were not enough for preparation. Does that mean that we have to eliminate the clubs and freeze the championship so that the national team could conduct training? But even then, we do not know what will be the result of the national team. Our team has already formed a defeatist psychology. I do not believe that we will be able to take points from the national teams of Italy and Croatia in away games. If we lose to Bulgaria at home, than it is inappropriate to think about the third place."

Boyukaga Haciyev, former Neftci head coach