The footballers of "Arkadag" won against the North Macedonian team "Vardar" - 1:0 in the first friendly match during their training camp in Antalya, Turkey.
According to the Football Federation of Turkmenistan, Altymyrat Annadurdyev scored the winning goal for our team.
The North Macedonian club "Vardar" from the capital city of Skopje is the most successful football club in their country. They have participated in all the championships of the first league, the top division of North Macedonia. They have 11 national championship victories and 5 victories in the national cup.
Furthermore, "Vardar" became the first club from North Macedonia to reach the group stage of the UEFA Europa League tournament in the 2017/2018 season. They play their home matches at the national team stadium, the "Tose Proeski Arena," with a capacity of over 33,000 spectators.
Vladimir Bayramov's team will play several more friendly matches in Turkey as part of their preparation for the upcoming Turkmenistan-2024 Championship starting on March 4. One of them is scheduled for February 10 against the team "Dnipro-1," which finished in second place in the Ukrainian Championship's autumn part, only behind "Kryvbas" based on additional indicators.
It is worth noting that the football club "Arkadag," which forms the core of the Turkmenistan national team, was established in April 2023 and in its debut year in the country's championship, secured the title prematurely and won the National Cup. In the Turkmenistan-2023 Championship, the team representing the city of the same name, which holds state significance, won all 24 official matches and triumphed 3-0 in the final match for the second most prestigious national trophy against the "Ahal," previous Cup holder, the two-time participant of the AFC Champions League.
In the new season, "Arkadag" is preparing to defend their championship title.