“It was a tough game.”

Offsideplus.az reports that this was stated by Sumqayıt head coach Şahin Abdullayev at the post-match press conference following the XV round Misli Premier League clash between Neftçi and Sumqayıt.

The coach shared his thoughts on the match:
“Since a new coach had come in, it was expected that Neftçi would play with different motivation. Approximately 65 minutes of the game were dictated by this motivation. Knowing this, we kept some players on the bench. After they entered the pitch, the course of the game changed to some extent.”

Abdullayev also commented on tense moments during the match:
“In the game against İmişli, when our assistant coach received a red card, we did not see any aggression. The opponent players rushed toward us. I wouldn’t say there was collective aggression on our side. Today, there was a dispute between Igor Ribeiro and Ramalingom during a play. Our substitute players on the bench remained calm. Before the game, we had also told everyone to stay composed.”

It is worth noting that the match at Palms Sports Arena ended in a 2:2 draw.