The second victory at the ongoing CAFA Futsal Cup-2023 tournament in Dushanbe was won by the team of Turkmenistan, beating the national team of Kyrgyzstan - 2:0.

Both opponents had an ambiguous start in the tournament, which is held under the auspices of the Football Association of Central Asia in a round robin with the participation of 6 teams.

In the first round, Turkmen futsal players sensationally won against the 12-time Asian champion and the 2016 bronze world championship Iran - 2:1, after which they lost to Tajikistan - 2:4 and Uzbekistan - 1:3. And the Kyrgyzstanis lost all three matches, having been defeated by Afghanistan - 4:5, Iran - 0:1 and Tajikistan - 3:5.

For many years, the futsal team of Kyrgyzstan was considered an uncomfortable opponent for the Turkmen team. Until 2022, the national team of Turkmenistan has never defeated the Kyrgyz futsal players, who often blocked our team's path to the finals of the Asian Cup. And only last year, this sad tradition was broken when, at the last year's qualifying tournament for the Asian Cup-2022 in Bishkek, the national team of Turkmenistan won against Kyrgyzstan - 3:1.

The first half was held in an equal fight. At the 16th minute, the Turkmen team could open an account, having received the right to a double penalty, which is awarded for each team foul, if the team had violated the rules five times before. However, the goalkeeper of the Kyrgyz national team parried Gurbangeldi Sahedov's kick from the 10-meter mark. As a result, the rivals went to the break with the score 0:0.

At the 28th minute, the wards of Yakup Ovezov still managed to score a goal, which turned out to be quite unexpected. The attack of our team was started by the goalkeeper of «Denizchi» club Meretgeldi Bayramov. He threw the ball far with his hands at Mulkaman Annagulyyev, who with a header, throwing the goalkeeper, sent him into the net.

After 6 minutes, the score could have become 2:0, but the goal crossbar saved the national team of Kyrgyzstan from the goal.

And in the 37th minute, the Turkmen futsal players played a multi-way combination, which Maksat Soltanov completed with an accurate shot into an empty net, setting the final score - 2:0.

The best player of the match was the goalkeeper of the Turkmenistan national team Meretgeldi Bayramov.

«In all three previous matches, our players were not inferior to their rivals due to good physical preparation. Therefore, in the duel with the Kyrgyz team, it was important not to make mistakes in defense in the first half. And I am glad that the guys fulfilled the instructions for the game and, due to pressure and ball control, were able to win», –Yakup Ovezov, the head coach of the Turkmenistan national team, told to the «GA» correspondent after the match.

In other matches of the 4th round, Iran defeated Uzbekistan - 5:0, and the hosts of the site, the Tajiks, tied with the Afghan team - 2:2.

A round before the end of the tournament, the national team of Turkmenistan with 6 points shares 4-5 places with the team of Uzbekistan. Futsal players from Tajikistan and Afghanistan have 7 points each. Iran, which leads the standings, has 9 points.

In the last round, the Turkmen team will play with the Afghan national team, which is coached by an Iranian specialist and played by a number of ethnic Afghans living in Iran. In other matches will meet: Uzbekistan - Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan - Iran.