The first round of the 2024 Turkmenistan Football Championship among major league clubs ended with three matches in Ashgabat, Ahal velayat and Balkanabat.
The meetings were held in parallel, starting at the same time. In this regard, the question of particular interest was: where will the first goal of the new football season be scored?
The most productive match was in the Babarap gengeshlik of the Gokdepe etrap of the Ahal velayat, where the ex-champion of Turkmenistan «Ahal» hosted the Mary «Energetik».
The first goal of the 2024 championship was scored in the first half. The author of it in the 17th minute of the game was Yazgylych Gurbanov, who, having received the ball after a cross from the left flank, processed it and accurately struck it under the crossbar from 15 meters away.
It is noteworthy that for the second year in a row Y. Gurbanov became the author of the first goal of the Turkmenistan championship. Last year, playing for «Kopetdag», he opened the scoring in the opening match, hitting the goal of the Turkmenbashi «Shagadam». And now he distinguished himself again, but in an «Ahal» T-shirt.
Subsequently, events in this match developed very rapidly. In the 18th minute, there was a cross from the left flank, and Gurbanmuhammet Esenov, with a header into the near corner, increased lead of «Ahal» to two goals.
And 11 minutes later, Yazgylych Gurbanov scored a double, converting a penalty, and the teams went into the break with the score 3:0 in favour of «Ahal».
The fourth goal in the match turned out to be very funny. In the 56th minute there was a shot at the «Energetik» goal, the ball hit the post, from which it bounced into the back of goalkeeper Muhammet Ovezov and rolled into the net.
The final score was set – 5:0 in favour of «Ahal» in the 92nd minute in stoppage time by Alibek Abdurahmanov, accurately shooting from 12 meters into the far corner of the goal.
The main events in this meeting unfolded after the break. In the 53rd minute, Nurjan Japarov put the visiting team ahead – 1:0. In the 83rd minute, «Shagadam» remained in the minority due to the sending off of Arslan Yollyyev. But this did not help the hosts avoid defeat. In injury time, the teams exchanged goals. Yazguly Hojageldiyev's team responded to Hydyrgeldi Atjanov's goal in the 96th minute with a precise strike in the 98th minute from Myrat Annayev.
This is the first victory of «Shagadam» under the leadership of new head coach Yevgeniy Tkachenko.
Let us remind you that the 32nd Turkmenistan football championship started with a capital derby between «Ashgabat» and «Kopetdag». The game took place on the territory of the sports complex located in the Babarap gengeshlik of the Gokdepe etrap, Ahal velayat, and ended in a draw - 0:0.
After the first round, the teams «Ahal», «Shagadam» and «Merv» took the lead in the major league, with 3 points each.
In the other two matches, the guests were successful. In Balkanabat, the bronze medalist of last year’s national championship «Nebitchi», after an accurate shot in the 83rd minute by Serdar Annamamedov, unexpectedly lost 0:1 to the Mary «Merv», which before the start of the new season was headed by Jemshit Orazmuhammedov as head coach. And at the «Sport Toplumy» stadium in the Buzmeyin etrap of Ashgabat, the vice-champion «Altyn Asyr» sensationally lost to last year’s outsider «Shagadam» - 1:2.
