"Azerbaijani football has developed remarkably since 1998"
Following the goalless draw between Azerbaijan and Liechtenstein, experienced journalist Ernst Hasler, head of the Der Stammtisch website, spoke in an exclusive interview with…
az. Q: What are your impressions of the match? A: "I am happy for my team. We had suffered five consecutive defeats in our previous five matches, and now we managed to earn a point against a strong opponent. This was our best performance in the last six games, and I consider it a fantastic result. Our players showed great courage, determination, and defended compactly. Therefore, this result did not come as a complete surprise to me. Of course, luck played a part as Azerbaijan had 2-3 clear goalscoring opportunities that they couldn't convert.
But that’s football. " Q: Did you have prior knowledge about Azerbaijani football? A: "Of course. This is not my first visit here—I was also in Baku back in 1998. We defeated Azerbaijan 2-1 in Liechtenstein, but lost 0-4 here, so I have long been familiar with Azerbaijani football. I also closely follow clubs like Qarabag competing in the Champions League. Azerbaijani football has made notable progress over the years. I remember visiting when Berti Vogts was managing the national team.
He was quite aggressive toward the media during a press conference because some journalists were criticizing the performance without having attended the match. '" Q: So you follow clubs like Sabah and Qarabag in European competitions? A: "Yes, absolutely. European tournaments and the Champions League are followed all across Europe. " Q: You’ve been to Baku several times. How do you find the city and the country overall? A: "This trip was very brief—I arrived last night and my flight back is at 2:00 AM tonight, so I didn’t have much time to explore. However, the transformation of the country is remarkable.