A SUCCESSFUL START

Azerbaijan has achieved its first victory in the qualifying round of Euro-2016. Although the team that faced Malta under new coach Robert Prosenicki did not shine two goals was enough to win the first three points.

Without doubt, Prosenicki's starting line-up for his first official match in charge raised a few eyebrows. Kamran Agayev replaced the injured Saxavat Agayev in goal; Rasad Sadigov, Badavi Huseynov, Maksim Medvedev and Arif Dasdamirov formed the defence; Rahid Amirquliyev, Qara Qarayev and Cavid Huseynov were in midfield; Namik Alaskarov and Afran Ismayilov were the wing backs and Vuqar Nadirov the lone striker. Prosinecki surprisingly chose Maksim Medvedev in his starting line-up, leaving the experienced Mahir Sukurov on the bench. But as the game progressed, the coach was proved to be right.

The Azerbaijanis made a great start, Cavid Huseynov putting them ahead in their first attack following a cross from Namik Alaskarov, giving Andrew Hogg in the Maltese goal no chance. Following this early goal Azerbaijan strove to increase their advantage but half-time arrived with the score still 1-0.

After the break, the team tried to have more of the possession, but mistakes at this time could prove crucial and Kamran Agayev saved the situation in a number of Maltese sharp counter-attacks following defensive errors.

Prosenicki brought on Dmitriy Nazarov for Afran Ismayilov and the switch worked. In the final minutes Nazarov scored a splendid goal to make the final score 2-0.

The young Ruslan Qurbanov, who plays for the Croatian side Hajduk and was making his debut in the national side, stood out for Azerbaijan with an impressive display. 

Namik Alaskarov of Qarabag also proved how important he is in the side. Unfortunately, he sustained an injury and will be out for some time.

Eddi Israfilov, who plays for the Spanish side Granada, was unimpressive when he came on in the middle of the second half. A win is a win and the victory over Malta pleased the fans, but we should not be carried away as coming up is a match against a strong Norway.

Incidentally, the Malta match was the first time Azerbaijan has won in its first match with a new coach. That maybe why Prosinecki said he was happy with the way they played. "I'm quite pleased. The team did everything they could, but we can do better and the team is capable of improving. I have my own philosophy about football. Namik Alaskarov's injury spoiled our plans. But I was pleased with us going forward. Of course, the team was under psychological pressure after losing the four previous games. You can't attack for 90 minutes. We made mistakes, but you have to realize that three players were making their international debuts. I knew the match with Malta would be tough because the Italians found them hard to beat. Malta could cause problems for any team. They were stronger in the second half and could even have gone in front. But every coach has his plan B. I had one of my own but I don't want to divulge it. The team will do better in the next few games and I will do all I can to see that they develop," Prosinecki said after the game.

The under-17 and under-19 teams have also been in action recently. The under-19s second qualifying stage for the European Championship ended in defeats to France (0-2) and England (0-1), so they have lost all chance of making the next stage.

The under-17s were in action in the elite round of the European Championship. Mirbagir Isayev's team flopped in their matches in Baku. After losing 0-4 to Croatia and Serbia and 0-3 to Portugal, we finished bottom of the group. It came as no surprise when Isayev resigned as coach after the team's failure in the elite round. "The team conceded 11 goals in three games so I am resigning. We knew from the beginning that we were in a strong group, but I am disappointed with the way we played. No-one thought we would get out of the group, although that's what I was aiming for. It was not the defeats that disappointed me but the way we performed. I blame myself above all, because in the final training sessions I let the players ease off, although I've ever done that before. Discipline has always been high in my team, and now, because we were playing in Baku, I decided not to put pressure on the lads, and I can't forgive myself for doing that," Isayev told R+.