The footballers of "Arkadag" have advanced to the final of the AFC Challenge League 2024/25 by defeating the sports club "Al Arabi" from Kuwait in the semi-final on aggregate over two matches.

The first match between these opponents, held a week ago in Kuwait City, ended with a 2-0 victory for the Kuwaiti team. The return leg took place today in the "smart" city of Arkadag, which hosted an international match for the second time this year. The first was on March 12 as part of the AFC Challenge League quarter-finals, where "Arkadag" twice defeated the Indian team "East Bengal": 1-0 away and 2-1 at home.

A day before the game, at the pre-match press conference, representatives of FC "Arkadag" expressed their determination to overturn the two-goal deficit and change the course of the semi-final second leg of the AFC Challenge League. Great hopes were placed on the support of the fans, who, as in the previous match against "East Bengal," filled the 10,000-capacity stadium to the brim.

And Vladimir Bayramov’s team met their supporters’ expectations by scoring three unanswered goals against "Al Arabi." Shanazar Tirkishov scored a brace (7th and 90+4th minutes), and Altymyrat Annadurdyev added another goal (58th minute).

"Arkadag"'s opponent in the final will be determined by the outcome of the second leg between "Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng" (Cambodia) and "Madura United" (Indonesia). The first match between these teams in Cambodia ended with a 3-0 victory for "Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng."

The AFC Challenge League final will take place on May 10, 2025. The venue will be announced later.

The AFC Challenge League is the third most prestigious club tournament in Asia, featuring teams that are generally considered to be of a lower level compared to participants in the elite AFC Champions League and AFC Champions League 2. It was established to provide ambitious teams with the opportunity to showcase their football talents.