Azernews.Az

BAKU – Azerbaijan soccer coach Berti Vogts has said he was ready to resign following the Azerbaijani team’s major defeat by Belgium.

"Resignation? No problem, if I have to go, I can. But this is up to AFFA [Azerbaijan’s soccer governing body]," the German coach told a news conference in Belgium.

Azerbaijan lost to the Belgian team 1:4 in a 2012 European Cup qualifier on Tuesday.

Vogts praised Belgium’s play and said the Azerbaijani team lost due to some errors.

"Unfortunately, we missed goals due to our mistakes. We lost because when the score was 1:2, we did not move forward. The opponents’ playing well played a role in this, too.

"The rival team was better. They played fast. I really think that Belgium is the second strongest team in our group," Vogts said.

According to him, Azerbaijan did not lose its play after missing the first goal.

"We even managed to equalize, and in some cases played quite well. But an unnecessary penalty kick changed the course of the match."

The coach said he had not made mistakes in shaping Azerbaijan’s squad and the best players were on the pitch.

After its win over Azerbaijan, Belgium took the second spot in Group A, with 10 points. Azerbaijan, which gained 3 points in four matches, is fifth among six teams.

On the same day, Turkey won a home match against Austria, and now ranks third, with 9 points. However, Belgium has played six matches, while Turkey has played five.

Germany leads in Group A after five wins and has already secured its right to participate in the 2012 European Cup.