The football players of "Arkadag" have won the title of Turkmenistan champions for the first time. The team representing the city of the same name achieved this success ahead of schedule, four rounds before the end of the national championship, by defeating the capital's "Altyn Asyr" team 4-0 in the 23rd round.
The match, held at the "Nisa" stadium in Ashgabat, was dominated by "Arkadag," with Velmyrat Ballakov scoring a brace in the 44th and 68th minutes, and forward Didar Durdyev scoring in the 58th and 60th minutes.
The football club "Arkadag," which forms the core of the Turkmenistan national team, was formed in 2023 and clinched the championship in its debut year in the country's league. The team shares this success with its new head coach, Vladimir Bayramov, who led "Arkadag" in their last two games. In the first match, "Arkadag" won 2-0 against the team "Energetik" in Mary, and in the second match, they defeated the AFC-2018 Cup finalist "Altyn Asyr" 4-0.
The 43-year-old Vladimir Bayramov, a renowned former forward of the Turkmenistan national team and winner of the 2003/04 Russian Cup with FC "Terek" Grozny and the 2013 AFC President's Cup with FC "Balkan", replaced 46-year-old Begenchmuhammet Kuliyev, also a well-known former midfielder of the national team, as the head coach of "Arkadag." Under Kuliyev's guidance, the team did not lose a single point in their previous matches.
Four rounds before the finish of the Turkmenistan championship, "Arkadag" has 60 points in 20 games. "Altyn Asyr" has 44 points from one game in hand, and most likely, will secure the vice-championship for the second year in a row. The teams contending for the bronze medals are: "Nebitchi" with 34 points after 20 matches, "Ashgabat" with 30 points after 22 games, and "Ahal" with 26 points after 18 matches.
