"We will recover and show everyone a strong Azerbaijan."

Axar.az reports that Azerbaijani national team player Mert Çelik made this statement after their 0-2 defeat against Belarus in a friendly match.

The 25-year-old defender apologized for the loss:

“We are very disappointed. At the very least, we wanted a draw. Unfortunately, we lost. We apologize to the Azerbaijani people—we wanted to make them happy. We will bounce back and show everyone a strong Azerbaijan.”

Çelik also spoke about the mistakes made by the team:

"Both we and head coach Fernando Santos will analyze them. He will show us our weaknesses, and we will work to fix them."

The "Səbail" player commented on his return to the national team after a five-year break:

“I must always stay prepared by playing regularly. I want to wear the Azerbaijani national team jersey for many years. I want to serve this country because I see it as my own. Azerbaijan is no longer my second home—it is my first.”

He also shared his thoughts on the upcoming friendly matches against Latvia and Hungary in the summer:

"We need to recover from this situation. We have two matches ahead of us in the summer. Until then, we must improve mentally. I believe we will perform better in those games."