Football players of the national team of Turkmenistan played a draw - 1:1 with the team of Tajikistan at the start of the Cup of Nations of the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA).
The first-ever CAFA Nations Cup 2023 tournament is being held in Bishkek and Tashkent with the participation of seven teams, which are divided into two groups at the first stage of the competition.
Turkmenistan with the teams of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Oman formed group «A», the matches in which are held in Tashkent. Members of group «B», which consisted of the national teams of Iran, the Kyrgyz Republic and Afghanistan, play in Bishkek.
According to the regulations of the CAFA Nations Cup 2023, the winners of the groups will compete for the main prize in the final. And the teams that took second places in the groups will determine the bronze medalist of the tournament in a duel between themselves.
Before the match at the CAFA Nations Cup 2023 tournament, the national teams of Turkmenistan and Tajikistan met eight times. Each team has three wins, two more meetings ended in a draw.
The ninth full-time match, which took place at the «Pakhtakor» stadium, the opponents started cautiously, at a low pace. Until the end of the first half, the teams did not create a single dangerous moment.
After the break, the players played faster. The first dangerous moment in the game occurred at the 48th minute at the gates of the national team of Turkmenistan. After a cross from the left flank and a double rebound from the defenders, the ball almost ended up in the goal of the nominal guests, but the goalkeeper Resul Charyyev, who was recognized as the best player of the match, still managed to stop the ball on the line.
At the 56th minute, Manuchehr Safarov gave a magnificent penetrating pass to Manuchehr Jalilov, who went one on one with R. Charyyev, but could not beat the goalkeeper.
A minute later, the Turkmen team organized a quick counterattack on the right flank, which ended with a goal. Begmyrat Bayov shot from the right corner of the penalty area, goalkeeper Rustam Yatimov parried the ball in front of him. Myrat Annayev was the first on the rebound, who sent the ball into the net with his left foot from close range and brought the national team of Turkmenistan forward - 1:0.
Tajik football players bounced back shortly before the final whistle. In the 86th minute, after a long throw into the penalty area, the defenders clumsily worked, and Nuriddin Hamrokulov, who came on as a substitute 13 minutes earlier, picked up the ball and accurately shot from nine meters into the goal - 1:1.
In the time remaining until the final whistle, the score did not change.
In this way, the national teams of Turkmenistan and Tajikistan scored the first point. The leaders in Group «A» after the first round with 3 points are the football players of Uzbekistan, who outplayed the team of Oman at the «Bunyodkor» stadium - 3:0. In the first half Jaloliddin Masharipov scored twice (7th and 24th minutes). The third goal was scored by Hojiakbar Alijonov (89th).
The next match at the CAFA Nations Cup tournament, the national team of Turkmenistan will play on the 14th of June against the team of Uzbekistan. And the players of Tajikistan will play with the national team of Oman on the same day.
In the opening match of group «B», which was judged by the Turkmen FIFA referee Charymyrat Gurbanov, the national team of the Kyrgyz Republic at the stadium named after Dolen Omurzakov won the team of Afghanistan - 1:0. The winning goal in the last minutes of the game was scored by Ernist Batyrkanov.
In the next match of this group on the 13th of June, the teams of Afghanistan and Iran will play, and on the 16th of June, the teams of the Kyrgyz Republic and Iran will meet in the last round.
The final match of CAFA Nations Cup-2023 will take place on the 20th of June in Tashkent.
