Former Qarabag captain Aslan Kerimov shared his thoughts with Azerisport following the team’s defeat to Kyiv’s Dynamo in yesterday’s UEFA Conference League qualifying match. The only goal of the game was scored by Dynamo’s forward Matvey Ponomarenko.
“We faced a young side. The youthfulness showed in their movement, but their inexperience was evident. If Qarabag had applied a bit more pressure, they could have forced Dynamo into mistakes. This isn’t the same Dynamo. Had this team met Qarabag last season, the match would have ended with a decisive victory for Agdam’s side.
The game was sluggish. You could tell it was the start of the season; the match lacked pace. I didn’t expect us to lose. At the very least, we should have secured a draw. Although, to be fair, we could have lost by a larger margin. There were a couple of chances when the Kyiv side could have scored. There was an incident where the referee could have easily awarded a penalty – a one-on-one situation involving Ponomarenko. They had two other opportunities as well. We didn’t create any clear-cut chances, mostly settling for half-chances.
What can we expect from the return leg? It will be an intriguing match. Dynamo is not a team that cannot be beaten after a 0-1 loss. They often make defensive errors. Our players were able to outpace their opponents. This gives us a chance to overcome them at home. The support of the home crowd and the psychological effect of Baku’s humidity could impact them. It’s a slight advantage, but one we should definitely use,” Kerimov concluded.
