Footballers of "Arkadag" escaped defeat in their AFC Champions League Two match against Qatar’s "Al-Ahli", snatching a 2–2 draw in the first minute of added time in the second half.
The game took place in Doha at the Al-Thumama Stadium in the presence of 277 spectators. The match was officiated by a Thai refereeing team led by FIFA referee Vivat Jumpaoon.
Heading into their third-round group stage encounter, both debutants of the AFC Champions League Two — "Al-Ahli" and "Arkadag" — were neighbors in the Group B standings. Finishing 4th in the previous season of the Qatar Stars League (top division), "Al-Ahli" had 2 points after two goalless draws — one at home against Bahrain’s "Al-Khaldiya" and one away against Uzbekistan’s "Andijan". Meanwhile, the reigning two-time champions of Turkmenistan had 1 point, earned from a home draw against "Andijan" (0–0) and an away loss to "Al-Khaldiya" (0–2).
Since June 7, 2024, "Al-Ahli" has been coached by 47-year-old Igor Biscan, a well-known former Croatian footballer who won the 2005 UEFA Champions League with "Liverpool". At the pre-match press conference, he expressed confidence that his team could claim its first-ever victory in the AFC Champions League Two, the second-tier Asian club competition.
"Al-Ahli’s" dominance — featuring 32-year-old Julian Draxler, the 2014 World Cup and 2017 Confederations Cupwinner with Germany — was so overwhelming in the first half that "Arkadag", the 2024/25 AFC Challenge League champions, failed to record a single shot on target, spending the entire 45 minutes defending.
The hosts’ pressure finally paid off four minutes before halftime, when 28-year-old Dutch midfielder Michel Vlap delivered a free kick to 31-year-old Croatian defender Matej Mitrovic, whose header struck the left post and bounced into the bottom corner of the net.
In the second half, "Arkadag" pushed forward in search of an equalizer, and already in the 48th minute, they forced the Qatari goalkeeper into his first save after a curling shot by Yazgylych Gurbanov.
In the 56th minute, however, Vladimir Bayramov’s wards conceded again — a left-wing attack by the hosts ended with an unstoppable strike by M. Vlap from the edge of the penalty area under the crossbar.
Leading 2–0, the hosts relaxed slightly, which the visitors exploited in the closing stages. In the 79th minute, Bayram Atayev, who had come on three minutes earlier, latched onto the ball after a failed attempt by Yazgylych Gurbanov and scored from close range to halve the deficit.
Then, in the first minute of stoppage time, "Arkadag" earned a corner kick. After the delivery, Ibraim Mammedov headed the ball toward Mekan Saparov, who freed himself from his marker and, from close range, sent the ball into the back of the net.
In the other Group B match, Uzbekistan’s "Andijan" played a 0–0 draw at home on the Bobur Arena in front of 6,940 spectators against Bahrain’s "Al-Khaldiya".
After three rounds, "Al-Khaldiya" leads the group with 5 points. "Al-Ahli" and "Andijan" have 3 points each, while "Arkadag" sits at the bottom with 2 points.
The reverse fixtures of the fourth round, "Arkadag" – "Al-Ahli" and "Al-Khaldiya" – "Andijan", will take place on November 5.
In another group, Group C, Turkmen club "Ahal" lost 0–1 to Iran’s "Sepahan" in Isfahan, at the Naghsh-e Jahan Stadium in the presence of 7,200 spectators. The winning goal for the Iranian vice-champions came in the 82nd minute, when Kaveh Rezaei followed up a rebound off goalkeeper Kakageldi Berdiyev after a header by Enzo Crivelli.
The reverse fixture between these two teams, also part of the fourth round, will take place on November 4 at the Naghsh-e Jahan Stadium in Isfahan.
Earlier, the team of the Main Directorate of "Turkmennebitonumleri" had earned one victory in the AFC Champions League Two — a 1–0 win over India’s "Mohun Bagan", but that result was annulled due to the disqualification of the Indian champions.
Thus, after three rounds, Jordanian champions "Al-Hussein" lead Group C with 6 points. "Sepahan" has 3 points, while "Ahal" remain pointless.
It should be noted that in the current group stage of the AFC Champions League Two, formerly known as the AFC Cup, 31 teams from 22 countries are participating, divided geographically into Western and Eastern zones. The top two teams from each group will advance to the Round of 16.
turkmenistan.gov.tm
