Three days, a lift with farmers – the long road to watch Estonia play Azerbaijan away
The long trip paid off almost immediately, with Estonia hitting the crossbar through Henri Anil after just 12 seconds, although the home side also suffered a late penalty late in the first half thanks to Elvin Jafarquilyev. )’s 25-yard free-kick knocked against the woodwork.
Azerbaijan, coached by Fernando Santos, who led Portugal to Euro 2016, had the better of the game in the second half, with Ozan Kokcu hitting the post, but neither side could find a winner.
Estonia ended up with a draw, a result that ensured they avoided automatic relegation to the bottom tier of the Nations League, with some players later handing their shirts to traveling fans.
Corbett said: “Is it worth it? 100 per cent. The Estonian team kept their nerves under pressure. As the final whistle went the nerves were released and we knew we weren’t going to be relegated and the players were kind enough to acknowledge us, the people What I encountered, the sights I saw, the things I learned about Azerbaijan and especially the food I ate.
“The combination of sport and travel gives you these experiences that are priceless to me.”
So, is his adventure over? Not exactly.
“When looking for cheap flights from Azerbaijan, Budapest came up,” Corbett said.
“Knowing that Hungary shares a border with Slovakia, I couldn’t help but see if it would be feasible to go to the Trnava Stadium when Estonia visit on Tuesday.
“It turns out it’s pretty easy to take the bus…so I go there.”
