Gafarov: Azerbaijan dethroned Euro Champion Serbia, aims to win final too

The Azerbaijan national minifootball team's semifinal against Serbia at the European Championship (2026 EMF Euro) in Slovakia was a true battle, goalkeeper Vali Gafarov told Report's correspondent in Bratislava.

Sharing his thoughts on the match, which ended 1–1 in regular time and was decided 3–1 in Azerbaijan's favor on penalties, Gafarov said: "My brothers, my teammates fought for 50 minutes. The match against Serbia was indeed a battle. Every player contributed. I tried to do my part by saving a penalty."

He recalled Azerbaijan's position at the top of the world rankings: "We thank God for reaching the European Championship final. Before the tournament, I said we were well prepared for our opponents. We are ranked first in the world. We dethroned the reigning European champion. Now only one decisive match remains. I hope we achieve a good result in the final and return home victorious."

Azerbaijan will face Ukraine in the final today at Tipos Arena, starting at 22:30 (GMT+4).