A postponed match of the 22nd round of the Turkmenistan Football Championship among top-flight clubs was played in Mary, with local side «Merv» hosting «Arkadag.» The match officially opened the fourth round-robin stage of the national championship.

The fixture was originally scheduled for October 7 but was brought forward due to the international schedule of the reigning national champions. «Arkadag» are set to prepare for their away match in the AFC Champions League Two against UAE club «Al Jazira,» scheduled for October 14.

The match at Merv Stadium was played under the visitors’ complete dominance and ended in a resounding 5–0 victory for them. The outcome began to take shape in the first half, when Altymyrat Annadurdyyev opened the scoring in the 18th minute. The hosts’ heavy defeat took shape in the second half: in the 50th minute, Shanazar Tirkishov doubled his team’s lead, and in the 62nd minute Ahmet Atayev extended the score to 3–0. Just a minute later, Annadurdyyev scored his second goal of the match, while Abdy Byashimov completed the scoring in the 73rd minute.

With this latest victory, «Arkadag» strengthened their outright lead in the standings, maintaining a perfect record of 66 points from 22 matches. «Ahal» are in second place with 42 points from 20 matches. «Altyn Asyr» round out the top three with 41 points from 19 matches.

The scoring charts also continue to be dominated by «Arkadag» forward Didar Durdyyev. The leading scorer of the past four seasons has now scored 22 goals, four of them from the penalty spot. His closest pursuer remains «Ahal» forward Suleyman Mirzoev, who has 10 goals, including two penalties.