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Baku aflutter after Azerbaijan beat Turkey

13 October 2010 21:26 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. Celebrations in the streets of Baku greeted Azerbaijan’s 1-0 Group A win against neighbors Turkey, leaving visiting coach Guus Hiddink to reflect on "one of the worst days of my career", APA reports quoting UEFA website.
The omens did not look good for Azerbaijan coach Berti Vogts ahead of kick-off at the Tofig Bakhramov-Republic Stadium; his side had lost their opening UEFA EURO 2012 Group A games against Germany and Austria, while their five previous games with Turkey had ended in four defeats and a draw. However, a goal from captain Rashad F Sadygov set up a shock success.
The 28-year-old defender, who has played for Kayserispor, Kocaelispor and now EskiÅŸehirspor, hoped his side’s success would alert more clubs in Turkey to Azerbaijani talent, saying: "I would advise our players to go to more competitive leagues. Coaches in Turkey will have seen this game and they will definitely have singled out some of our players."
Sadygov scored the winner, but Kamran Agayev took some credit for keeping a clean sheet. The XÃ¤zÃ¤r LÃ¤nkÃ¤ran FK goalkeeper, meanwhile, saluted his side’s support, who got behind the hosts despite the huge interest in Turkish football in Azerbaijan. "I am grateful to the fans who backed us, and not Turkey," he said.
"We proved that we deserved their backing," he added. "We were very keyed up for the home game and in the end our visitors were too nervous. I am happy we managed to stand firm until the final whistle."
German coach Vogts, meanwhile, was wary of the furore surrounding his team’s success, pleading reporters not to go over the top. "I am asking the press not to lavish too many compliments on our players," said the 63-year-old. "This time luck was on our side, especially compared with our last game, against Austria. We could have scored more in the second half, but Turkey are still favourites to finish second in this group."
Visiting coach Guus Hiddink, meanwhile, was feeling decidedly downbeat, with Turkey having been eager for a lift following a 3-0 defeat in Germany on Friday. "I cannot remember a time when a team of mine lost two qualifying matches in a row," said the Dutchman. "This is one of the worst days of my career. Our opponents outfought us and they deserved to win.
"Germany are a world-famous team so I can live with that defeat, but I can’t accept losing to Azerbaijan," he added. "We have been without Arda Turan - a very important player - for both of these games, but we cannot complain. If Azerbaijan play this counterattacking game against other teams they will spring some upsets, and I’ll be delighted when they do."