Gurban Gurbanov, the head coach of Karabakh, reflected on his team’s victory over Dynamo in the UEFA Conference League. In the second leg of the third qualifying round, the Azerbaijani side secured a 2-0 win to advance to the final qualifying stage.
“The match was intense and stressful. Except for a few moments, the players stayed fully engaged. Our opponents were determined not to lose. We executed the right decisions both with and without the ball, which led to an important victory. I want to thank the fans. It felt like the atmosphere and unity we experienced during last year’s Champions League group stage returned to the stadium today. I wish success to our opponents as well. It was a pleasure to play against such a team and come out on top. Many people in Baku support Dynamo, and we ourselves cheered for them as children.
There were many differences compared to the first leg. Here, we were more active, our pressing was more effective, and we handled the ball more accurately and quickly. We aimed to keep the opponent from possession. In the second half, we made some changes. Maintaining the same pace for 90 minutes in such heat is impossible. We have been working on many things, and that was visible today. The changes came from my side.
How should we play against Twente? I haven’t watched Twente’s game, only the goals from their 6-0 win. They scored beautiful goals—that’s pure Dutch football. We reached our first European group stage by beating this very opponent. They are a team that knows how to control the ball. Perhaps in that match, we will need to think more and possibly move more. We will have time to prepare,” the coach told Azerisport.
