Yuri Vernidub: “The reason we played so well in the first half was our high press”

“Neftçi” PFC head coach Yuri Vernidub answered journalists’ questions at the post-match press conference following the team’s Misli Premier League Round 2 fixture against “Araz-Naxçıvan”:

“We also played well against “Sumqayıt”. As for the emphatic victory, today was “Neftçi”’s day, not “Araz-Naxçıvan”’s. However, our opponents are by no means a bad team. The reason we played so well in the first half was our high press. Naturally, after finishing the first half 4–0 up, it is difficult for a team to maintain the same tempo in the second half. Nevertheless, the players put in a serious performance after the break as well; they simply failed to convert some of their chances.“ I usually do not single out individual players, but I would like to highlight vice-captain Emil Balayev in particular. He saved our team from conceding on three occasions in fairly dangerous situations. Most importantly, the players who came on in the second half also performed well and worked hard to help us secure the victory.”

You can watch the full press conference in the video below.