THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS NOT TO MISS THE CHANCE

Rasad Sadixov is a famous and popular football player in Azerbaijan. A Neftci defender who then played for Karabakh, he now lives the life of a legionnaire. After the Eurocup season which was quite successful for Karabakh, Sadixov accepted a proposal from the Turkish Super League. However, he had little opportunity to express himself in Eskisehirspor, because the former coach rarely let him play on the pitch. But the Azerbaijan captain still had his say in a fixture with the Turkish national team in Euro 2012 qualifiers. The author of the winning goal for the Azerbaijani national team became a hero in both countries after the match. All the newspapers and magazines wrote about Rasad, while his name was on all the Turkish and Azerbaijani TV channels.

Things got better at Eskisehirspor after the victory as the new head coach Bulent Uygun gave our footballer a chance to prove himself in a game with Karabuyukspor. The team won with a score of 2:1, and the Sadixov did very well.

When we called him, Rasad was not in the right frame of mind since he got injured during the last game. It is this question that we started our conversation from.

- It seems that your trauma is pretty serious?

- I received a head injury during the match. Doctors even put a few stitches. For the time being, my participation in the next game is in question. The last say belongs to the doctors. In any case, changes in the team are undeniable. We go to every match with a desire to win. The team's standings will soon improve as well.

- With the arrival of the new coach Bulent Uygun, you've been doing better...

- My job is to play football. The former coach Riza Calimbay did not trust me. But with the arrival of Bulent Uygun, the situation changed. In the last game, I was on the pitch for 90 minutes, and our team won. The main thing is the victory of Eskisehirspor. Moreover, after the Azerbaijan-Turkey game, it was expected that I would be given a chance.

- After the match, you became very popular in Turkey...

- (Smiles). The match with the Turkish national team was a great chance for our players. Since that victory, they have been the focus of Turkish media attention. You're right, I get a lot of calls from journalists. I know that after the goal I scored in that match, they expect even better play from me.

- We wonder what the head coach Bulent Uygun told you after the Azerbaijan-Turkey match?

- He just congratulated me on our victory. The press still continues to give this win a lot of attention. But for us it's all over. Now all attention is focused on the Turkish championship. The remaining members of the team are preparing for games in the club.

- A local newspaper presented you as "a man who vanquished Turkey"...

- It's just a joke. In Turkey, the press is always in search of screaming headlines. Perhaps, this one, too, was of the same series. We have great respect for the Turkish national team and were very pleased with its success in European and world championships.

- Fanatik newspaper wrote that "Sadixov was not happy about the goal he scored against Turkey". Is this true?

- In fact, this is a trait of my character. I do not like to show elation after scoring a goal. I prefer to do it after the match. After all, even if a goal is scored, the game goes on and everything can change. That's why I try to express my delight only after the final whistle.

- You previously scored "Azerbaijani-style" goals after corner kicks?

- In European cups, I scored goals after a corner against Austria's Rid and Slovakia's Nitra. At that time, I played for Neftci. The "Azerbaijani-style" corner is our crowning kick. We do not even work on it. All the players are well aware of how to perform this attack. After a corner kick, one or two players miss the ball, diverting the goalkeeper's attention, while a player in the penalty area strikes.

- After the defeat, the Turkish national team does not have much of a chance to go to Euro 2012...

- In Azerbaijan, this team has a huge army of fans. I've always rejoiced at the success of Turkish football players in the international arena. But we won this match deservedly. In any case, I want the Turkish national team to make it into the European Championship. We will do our best to help the team of brotherly Turkey. To do this, we will try to take points from their main rivals - Austria and Belgium. And that requires the same kind of selfless play in other qualifiers.

- You beat Turkey only four days after losing 3:0 to Austria. What changed in the Azerbaijani national team in such a short period of time?

- Do you think we do not want to show good play? Every footballer wants to please his people with victories. After the game with Austria, we came under a barrage of criticism. We wanted to prove that we can play football. In addition, we should note strong support from the spectators during the Azerbaijan-Turkey match. Some 25,000 fans expected us to win. Now we and the press should think about the future of our football. This victory may not be the last.

- How realistic is the transfer of our other players to foreign clubs after they won the last match?

- We all wish that. But it is very difficult to go straight into a strong team. I know that Turkish clubs are now interested in several of our players. If the negotiations are successful, they will leave Azerbaijan during the winter transfer.