Azerbaijan away proves to be a great adventure for Englishman Mark Corbett as he cheered on Estonia in a Nations League tie.
It can be lonely being a football fan – especially if you are cheering on your side away in far-off Azerbaijan and have spent three days getting there.
His epic trip, including several flights and a ride with farmers, saw him overcome a number of obstacles before he took his place among a handful of away fans on a cold evening in northern Azerbaijan - only for Saturday's Nations League Group C1 game to end in a goalless draw.'What the heck, I'll find a way'
“I don’t know if it was free because the Estonian FA couldn’t be bothered to collect such a tiny amount from me or perhaps because I was one of the few going so they just gave me a complimentary ticket," said Corbett.'The locals thought I was crazy for travelling there'An extended public holiday in Azerbaijan ruled out the limited train service which normally only runs at weekends anyway and there were no buses from Baku to Gabala.
"And the less said about the 'services' toilets we stopped at, the better. It was a hole in the ground with the most unbearable stench."So, after a three-day journey that started in Tallinn and went via Rome, Baku and a lengthy minibus journey, Corbett, who originally comes from Oldham but has lived in Estonia for six years, was flying the flag for Jurgen Henn’s side.
"There was no friction with the home fans. At full-time they wished us well and some wanted to swap scarves. Estonia held on for a draw, a result that ensured they avoided automatic relegation to the bottom tier of the Nations League, with some of the players then handing over their shirts to the travelling fans.
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