«Arkadag» footballers played poker for the first time. In addition to winning the AFC Challenge League, gold medals in the national championship, and the Super Cup, they added the Turkmenistan Cup, achieving a comeback 2-1 victory in the final over the vice-champion of the country and two-time AFC Champions League participant, «Ahal».
For the second time in history, the final game for the second most important national club trophy took place in the city of Arkadag, in a packed stadium with a capacity of 10 thousand spectators.
For «Ahal», which has already won the Turkmenistan Cup four times, this was the ninth final in the history of tournament. And for FC «Arkadag», formed in April 2023, it was the third.
On the way to the final, «Ahal» first won against «Kopetdag» 3:2 (2:2 at home and 1:0 away) over the two matches, and then defeated «Shagadam» with the same score (1:2 away and 2:0 at home). In the quarterfinals, «Arkadag» crushed «Nebitchi» of Balkanabat 9:1 (6:0 at home and 3:1 on the field of opponent), and in the semi-finals, they confidently beat «Ashgabat» 7:2 (3:1 away and 4:1 on their field).
Before the cup match, «Arkadag» and «Ahal» had played each other five times this season. «Arkadag» won all five matches: 3-1, 3-0, 4-1, and 1-0 in the Turkmenistan Championship, and 3-0 in the Turkmenistan Super Cup.
It is noteworthy that before this, both teams also met each other in two previous Turkmenistan Cup finals, in which «Arkadag» celebrated success: 3:0 in 2023 and 1:0 in 2024.
For the current cup match, coaches of «Ahal» fielded a substitute squad, with seven players missing for various reasons, having taken part in the recent away game of the AFC Champions League 2 against «Al-Hussein» of Jordan. But despite this, the young footballers of the Main directorate team «Turkmennebitonumleri» put up a worthy resistance to the current champion of Turkmenistan, who were losing 0:1 until the middle of the second half. In the 24th minute, «Ahal» winger Magtymberdi Berenov ran down the left side from Berdimyrat Rejepov and, entering the penalty area, made a perfect pass to Yakubmuhammet Govshudov, who immediately sent the ball with his left foot into the lower right corner of the goal.
«Arkadag» equalised in the 67th minute with a penalty, which was awarded for a foul in the penalty area against Resul Hojayev. The 11-meter penalty kick was converted by Shamammet Hydyrov. At the same time, referee Berdimammet Atdyyev sent off «Ahal» defender Salim Umarov for a push in the back, which deprived R. Hojayev, who had the evil eye of the goalkeeper, of a clear opportunity to score a goal.
Left with a man down, «Ahal» soon conceded a second goal, which in the 77th minute was scored into the upper left corner of the net by Shamammet Hydyrov with a brilliant free kick from 23 metres, completing the winning double.
The outgoing year 2025 turned out to be very successful for «Arkadag». In May, this football club from first «smart» city of Turkmenistan won the third-ranked Asian club trophy, the 2024/25 AFC Challenge League Cup, defeating «Preah Khan Rich Svay Rieng» of Cambodia 2-1 in the final. In September, team of Vladimir Bayramov won the Super Cup, after which they secured the national championship for the third time. And now, for the third year in a row, we have won the Turkmenistan Cup.
