Ahal football players played a draw - 1:1 with Shabab Al-Ahli from the United Arab Emirates at the AFC Champions League group stage that started in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia). Both teams are in Group C, which also includes Foolad (Iran) and Al-Gharafa (Qatar).
In the context of the pandemic, the match between the vice-champion of Turkmenistan and the bronze medalist of the UAE was held at the King Abdullah Sports City stadium with empty stands.
For "Ahal" it was the debut match in the AFC Champions League, in which the team of the Main Department "Turkmennebitonumleri" opposed the old-timer of this prestigious tournament in Asia, one of the most titled clubs in the UAE. The strength of Shabaab Al-Ahly is evidenced by the fact that this team has become the champion of the UAE seven times, won the President's Cup ten times in this country, won the League Cup and the UAE Super Cup five times, and in 2015 reached the final of the AFC Champions League, where she lost to the Chinese "Guangzhou Evergrande" - 0:1. It is also noteworthy that a number of legionnaires from Brazil, Argentina, Iran, Uzbekistan, Norway now play for the Shabab Al-Ahly team, and the total value of all team players, according to the authoritative website Transfermarkt, is more than 17 million euros.
The first half was not full of dangerous moments. Only in the last five minutes the opponents exchanged sharp attacks. First, in the 42nd minute, Kharib Abdalla Almaazmi made a dangerous shot from close range from the left side, but goalkeeper Rasul Charyev turned out to be on the alert. And after 3 minutes, Meilis Diniev, being face to face with the opponent's goalkeeper, could not beat the goalkeeper. As a result, the teams went to the break with the score 0:0.
In the second half of the meeting, the players increased in movement, and dangerous moments at the gate began to appear more often. In the 66th minute, Ata Geldiyev missed an excellent opportunity to open an account. He closed the ball with his head from a corner, but the ball flew close to the post.
And after another two minutes, the captain of "Akhal" Elman Tagaev could distinguish himself. From the right side of the free-kick, he aimed at the far "nine", but the ball hit the crossbar.
And yet, in the 75th minute, Akhal took the lead 1-0. Arslanmurad Amanov, who came on as a substitute in the 59th minute, crossed from a corner to Serdar Geldiyev, who headed the ball to the far corner of the goal, where Abdy Byashimov, who was unattended, easily hit the target.
The Arab club bounced back four minutes later. Ibraiym Mammedov knocked down the Norwegian legionary Thomas Olsen, who plays for Shabab Al-Ahly, on the penalty area line, and the referee of the match, Rovan Arumughan from India, showed the 11-meter mark. The penalty was converted by the Uzbek legionnaire Azizjon Ganiev - 1:1. In the remaining time, the score did not change, and, of course, the first point earned in the AFC Champions League in the confrontation with a formidable opponent, the vice-champion of Turkmenistan can take to his asset.
“We prepared very well for the match,” Rovshan Mukhadov, head coach of Ahal, commented on the result of the game at the post-match press conference. “It was difficult in the first 20 or 25 minutes as Shabab Al Ahli attacked and controlled the game with their high quality players. But we persevered and were stronger in the second half.”
Ahal's mentor noted that his team "had chances to win."
“But we lost focus, and here is the result. This is the AFC Champions League, the results can change in an instant, and we must always remember this,” R. Mukhadov summed up the match.
In another meeting of the game day in this group, the Iranian "Foolad" and the Qatari team "Al-Gharafa" played each other in a draw - 0:0.
Thus, after the first round, Ahal, Shabab Al-Ahli, Fulada and Al-Gharafa have 1 point each.
In the next round, Ahal will play against Al-Gharafa, and in another match, Shabab Al-Ahly and Foolad will meet.
Recall that the last time Turkmen clubs played in the AFC Champions League was 19 years ago. In 2003, Nisa Ashgabat reached the quarterfinal group tournament, following which it failed to break into the top four teams in Asia.
