“If we had played simpler, we could have avoided conceding some of those goals.”

According to Offsideplus.az, these were the words of Qarabag defender Elvin Jafarguliyev in his post-match comments following the first leg of the UEFA Champions League play-off round against Newcastle United.

Sharing his thoughts on the defeat, Jafarguliyev said: “Azerbaijan has never seen a match of this magnitude before. We have made it all the way to the Champions League play-offs. It’s understandable that the fans expect a victory from us. We will do our best to make them happy in the upcoming matches.”

Jafarguliyev, who scored Qarabag’s only goal of the night, expressed his mixed emotions: “I am very proud to be the first Azerbaijani footballer to score in the play-off stage. However, I would be much happier if we had secured a win today. An away game three times more difficult than this one awaits us. First and foremost, we must recover mentally. Then, we need to focus on the physical recovery process. We will strive to put on a better performance in the next match.”

It is worth noting that the Qarabag vs. Newcastle match ended in a 6-1 victory for the visitors. The return leg will take place in England on the night of February 24-25, kicking off at 00:00 (Baku time).