The footballers of the vice‑champion of Turkmenistan, the «Ahal» club, secured a 2-1 victory over the reigning Lebanese champion, «Al‑Ansar», in the final round of the group stage of the 2026/27 AFC Challenge League.

The match took place in Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan, which hosted the Group «A» fixtures of the West Zone in a centralised format. The match, officiated by a team of referees led by FIFA referee Sanjar Jakypbekov from Kyrgyzstan, was watched by 506 spectators in the stands.

Before their head-to-head encounter, the opponents were at opposite ends of the league table. Following a 2-2 draw with «Paro» of Bhutan and a 1-5 defeat to «Al-Ittihad» of Syria, «Ahal» with 1 point was tied for 3^rd-4^th place with the Bhutanese champions. The most decorated club of Lebanon «Al-Ansar» from Beirut, with 16 Premier League titles, 16 domestic cups, and a record-breaking streak of 11 consecutive league championships held a commanding lead with 6 points, following victories over «Al-Ittihad» of Syria (2-0) and «Paro» of Bhutan (2-1).

The Turkmen team made an energetic start to the match: as early as the 5^th minute, Begench Mamiyev fired a shot from 20 metres out that passed just centimetres from the post, and three minutes later, Oraz Orazov headed the ball across the face of the goal following a corner kick.

In the 19^th minute, the Lebanese side responded with a dangerous strike from Majed Osman, but «Ahal» goalkeeper Vepa Mammayev pulled off a spectacular leap to tip the ball over the crossbar. Later, Mammayev had to come to rescue his team a few more times following long-range shots from Nader Matar.

The turning point of the first half came in the 44^th minute, when «Al-Ansar» defender Rafik Mednini handled the ball inside his own penalty area. The referee awarded a penalty, which Begench Mamiyev converted with power and confidence. «Ahal» took a 1-0 lead.

Early in the second half, Enver Annayev had a chance to double the lead, but Beirut goalkeeper Hadi Kanj made a save with his feet. In the 63^rd minute, «Al-Ansar» finally leveled the score: Majed Osman capitalised on a precise pass from Mahdi «Al-Zein» and coolly sent the ball into the top corner of the net – 1–1.

However, «Ahal» showed character and snatched victory in the time that remained. In the 77^th minute, Suleyman Mirzoyev broke into the penalty area from the right flank and squared the ball to Yakupmuhammet Govshudov, who slotted it into an unguarded corner from the edge of the six-yard box 2-1.

Despite the win, «Ahal» did not have enough points to advance from the group. «Al-Ansar» of Lebanon remained in first place with 6 points and advanced to the quarterfinals.

In a concurrent match, «Al-Ittihad» of Syria defeated «Paro» 2-1 and secured second place in the group. With 6 points, the Syrian club emerged as the best team among the runners-up in the West Zone and also secured a spot in the playoffs.

All 19 clubs participating in the group stage of the 2026/27 AFC Challenge League are guaranteed to receive 100 thousand USA dollars each from the Asian football confederation.

The AFC Challenge League is third-tier club competition of Asia, established for teams that did not qualify for the AFC Champions League or the AFC-2 Champions League. Following the conclusion of the group stage, the quarterfinal pairings have been set, with matches to be played on a home-and-away basis:

Western Zone (first legs – 3^rd of March, return legs – 17^th of March, 2027):

• «Al-Ittihad» (Syria) – «Homs Al Fidaa» (Syria)

• «Al-Ansar» (Lebanon) – «Al-Qadsia» (Kuwait)

Eastern Zone (first legs – 11^th of March, return legs – 18^th of March, 2027):

• «Shan United» (Myanmar) – «Borneo» (Indonesia)

• «Tainan City» (Chinese Taipei) – «Manila Digger» (Philippines)

The first leg of the semi-final matches in the Western region will take place on the 7^th of April, with the return legs scheduled for the 14^th of April, 2027. Matches in the Eastern region will be held on the 8^th and 15^th of April.

The final match for the trophy will take place on the 8^th of May, 2027.

It is worth recalling that the inaugural edition of the AFC Challenge League in the 2024/25 season was won by the Turkmen club «Arkadag», while the 2025/26 season saw the trophy claimed by the reigning Kuwaiti champions, «Al-Kuwait».