Gurbanov hails Chelsea draw as ‘successful result’ for Qarabağ
Qarabağ head coach Gurban Gurbanov has described his team’s 2–2 draw against Chelsea in their Champions League group stage match in Baku as “a successful result”, News.Az reports, citing local media.
“I congratulate our fans. Victory Day is approaching. We consider this draw a good result,” Gurbanov said at a post-match news conference.
He praised his players’ “fighting spirit”, saying they “fought in a way worthy of true Azerbaijanis” and noted that this was the first time Qarabağ had taken points against a Premier League side.
“It is the first time we have taken points in a match against an English club. Today, we could also have finished without any points. Tough games await us ahead,” he warned.
Gurbanov said Qarabağ had gained valuable experience in this year’s Champions League campaign, despite having no players with previous European club competition experience.
“When we qualified for the group stage, I was a bit worried, because we could have performed poorly against big teams. Thankfully, we have a fighting team, and thanks to the trust we have in each other, we can achieve good results,” he said, adding that Qarabağ still have a chance to reach the next round.
He also stressed the importance of playing top-level opposition.
“Even if we had lost to Chelsea, we would have considered ourselves winners, because it is gratifying to see such big teams come to Baku. Playing against star footballers means gaining experience,” he said.
The match at Baku's Tofig Bahramov Stadium ended 2–2 on Wednesday evening.
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