The Turkmen football players have recorded two draws at the ongoing Central Asian Football Association (CAFA) U17 Championship in Tashkent. All matches of the tournament are being held at the “Dustlik” Stadium, with the participation of five teams: Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
The Turkmenistan U17 team is competing in the CAFA Championship under the guidance of head coach Azat Mukhadov, the son of former Turkmenistan national team player Rovshan Mukhadov.
After a 1–5 defeat in their opening match against Tajikistan, the Turkmen team shared points with Afghanistan (0–0) and Uzbekistan (3–3).
In the match against Uzbekistan, the Turkmen side took the lead three times, scoring their first goal as early as the 5th minute. In the 36th minute, Doniyor Uktamov equalized with a shot from inside the penalty area (1–1). However, just three minutes later, Hudaynazar Meredov, finding himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper, restored the lead for Turkmenistan (2–1). The teams went into halftime with this score.
In the 49th minute, following a free kick from the right flank, Yakhyobek Nasrulloev equalized with a header (2–2). In the 58th minute, Hudaynazar Meredov—named the best player of the match—dribbled past several defenders and delivered a superb pass to the penalty spot, where Timur Gaidarov sent the ball into the Uzbek net with a first-time strike (3–2).
Uzbekistan managed to avoid defeat in the 88th minute when Sanjarbek Aminov scored on the rebound to level the score.
After three rounds, Tajikistan leads the standings with 9 points, followed by Uzbekistan (7 points), Kyrgyzstan (3 points), Turkmenistan (2 points), and Afghanistan (1 point).
In their final match, the Turkmen team will face their peers from Kyrgyzstan. A victory in this game would allow them to secure third place.
Last year, at the same CAFA U17 Championship in Tashkent, Turkmenistan’s youth team, under head coach Ahmet Allaberdiyev, won bronze medals after defeating Kyrgyzstan on penalties (7–6) following a goalless draw in regular time.
