Three days, a lift with farmers – the long road to watch Estonia play Azerbaijan away

The long trip almost earned an instant reward as Estonia, after only 12 seconds, hit the crossbar through Henri Anier, although the hosts also rattled the woodwork later in the first half from Elvin Jafarquilyev’s 25-yard free-kick.

Azerbaijan, managed by Fernando Santos, who guided Portugal to Euro 2016 glory, were the better side in the second half with Ozan Kokcu hitting the post, but neither side could find a winner.

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.

Corbett said: “Was it worth it? 100%. The nerves as Estonia held on under pressure. The release of tension as the final whistle went and we knew we were safe from relegation, the players being kind enough to acknowledge us, the people I met, the sights I saw, the things I learned about Azerbaijan and especially the food I ate.

“These kind of experiences, that the combination of sport and travel gives you, are just priceless for me.”

So, is that the end of his adventure? Not exactly.

“When looking for cheap flights out of Azerbaijan, Budapest came up,” said Corbett.

“Knowing Hungary borders Slovakia, I couldn’t resist checking how feasible it is to get to the stadium in Trnava when Estonia are the visitors on Tuesday.

“Turns out it’s easy enough by bus… So I’ll be there.”