With a major victory over the team of Taiwan - 4:0, the football players of the youth team of Turkmenistan (under 23 years old) began their performance at the qualifying tournament of the Asian Cup-2023 in the «K» group that started in the Indonesian city of Surakarta.

The hero of the match, which was watched by only 120 people at the «Manakhan» stadium, was the striker of the Ashgabat «Kopetdag» Shamammet Hydyrov. He scored a hat-trick (25th, 63rd and 78th minutes). Another goal was recorded by the football player of the capital's «Altyn Asyr» Nurmyrat Rozyyev (77th).

Both teams slowly started the game, as if looking at each other.

Gradually, the wards of Ahmet Agamyradov, due to pressure, seized the initiative and began to visit more often in the opponent's half of the field. In one of our attacks, the Taiwanese players broke the rules not far from their own penalty area, and Shamammet Hydyrov, who approached the ball, opened the scoring with a well-aimed free-kick under the crossbar.

Two minutes later, Rahman Myratberdiyev could double the result. Entering the penalty area and beating a defender there, he aimed from 10 meters into the corner of the goal to the right of the goalkeeper. However, he could not beat the goalkeeper.

In the second half, the Turkmen footballers continued to dominate. On the 63rd minute, S. Hydyrov and R. Myratberdiyev went to one defender. However, Shamammet did not give the pass to his partner, and as it turned out, not in vain. Having wound up an opponent in the penalty area, he aptly shot into the corner of the goal to his left, and the score became 2:0 in favour of Turkmenistan.

In the 77th  minute, the coaches of our team made a triple substitution, and Nurmyrat Rozyyev, who appeared on the field with his first touch on the rebound, increased the lead to 3:0.

And a minute later, Shamuhammet Hydyrov, having won a duel against a defender on the penalty area line, with an accurate blow to the right corner of the goal from the goalkeeper, set the final score - 4:0.

In this group, the struggle for a ticket to the final round of the 2004 Asian Youth Cup is also led by the Indonesian team, which will play the first game on the 9th of September against Taiwan.

The qualifying tournament in group «K» will end on the 12th of September with the match Turkmenistan - Indonesia.

Remind that 43 youth teams are participating in the qualifying tournament of the Asian Cup-2024, which, according to the results of the draw, were divided into eleven groups. The group winners, as well as the four best teams among the runners-up, will receive tickets to the final of the Asian Cup, which will be held from 15th of April to 3rd of May, 2024 in Qatar.