The Turkmenistan U17 youth national team won bronze medals at the recently concluded Central Asian Football Association (CAFA) Championship for players under 17, held in Tashkent, by defeating Kyrgyzstan in the third-place match via a penalty shootout.
The tournament brought together representatives from six countries, who were divided into two groups in the first stage.
The Turkmen footballers finished second in Group B with 3 points after beating the Afghan youth team 1-0 in the first match and then losing to their peers from Tajikistan 1-4.
Their opponent in the bronze medal match, the Kyrgyzstan U17 team, also finished second in Group A with 3 points, having lost to Uzbekistan 1-5 and defeated Iran 4-3.
The regular time of the third-place match ended in a 0-0 draw. The post-match penalty shootout started in the best possible way for our compatriots. With the very first penalty kick from the Kyrgyz team from the 11-meter mark, the Turkmen goalkeeper Azim Abaev—who was recognized as the best player of the match—brilliantly saved the ball, catching it firmly.
Then, players from both teams successfully scored goals until the final, fifth round, in which the Kyrgyz goalkeeper saved the decisive shot from the Turkmen player. After that, the teams had to continue shooting until someone missed. Here, the Turkmen players handled the pressure better, with their goalkeeper Azim Abaev saving a shot in the third additional round of penalties, bringing victory to his team with a score of 7-6.
Thus, the Turkmenistan U17 youth national football team won bronze medals at the CAFA Championship for the first time. The team was led to this success by head coach Ahmet Allaberdiyev.
The tournament winner was the Tajikistan U17 team, which in a dramatic final won 4-3 in a sensational come-from-behind victory over the hosts—the Uzbekistan footballers. Notably, during the match, the Tajik team was behind: first 0-2, then 2-3 in extra time. However, in stoppage time at the 95th minute, Usmon Shirinov equalized to 2-2, sending the game into extra time. Then, in overtime, at the 97th minute, Kamron Karimzoda restored the tie at 3-3.
The climax of the match came in the 120th minute, when, 29 seconds before the end of the game, Mehrubon Odilzoda scored from a long-range shot about 30-32 meters out, securing a brace and bringing the championship title to his team.
In the match for fifth and sixth places, the Iranian youth team defeated their Afghan peers 3-1.
