The Turkmenistan national football team secured their second victory in the ongoing Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers held in Amman (Jordan), in group "A" among youth teams (under 23 years old).

After a big success in the first match against Chinese Taipei with a score of 5:1, the team under Ahmet Agamyradov won against the Bhutan youth national team 2:0.

In the first round, Bhutan lost to the Jordan team with a crushing score of 0:11, which gave some hope for an easy victory for our team against the declared underdogs. However, as the game showed, the Turkmen players had to work hard to beat Bhutan.

Turkmenistan took the initiative from the very first whistle and opened the scoring in the 12th minute after Kelzang Jigmi fouled Dayanch Meredov in the penalty area, and Sohbet Durdyyev converted the penalty.

Before the break, our compatriots could have scored again several times. In one of the attacks, D. Meredov, who made a hat-trick in the match against Chinese Taipei, took a dangerous shot on goal, but it was saved by goalkeeper Lhocho Nima, who also parried a shot from Azizbek Bekchanov.

Five minutes before the end of the first half, midfielder Azizbek Bekchanov from Turkmenbashi's "Shagadam" outplayed the goalkeeper, but this time the post helped Bhutan.

In the 64th minute, our team was again close to scoring: after a cross by Magtymberdi Berenov, the ball from a corner kick flew directly towards the goal, but Kinley Penjor headed it away from under the crossbar.

The Turkmen players continued to increase the pressure and were rewarded during added time. In the 93rd minute, after substitute goalkeeper Sonam Choda interrupted a pass from "Ahal’s" midfielder Begench Mamiyev, the forward of "Kopetdag," Dayanch Meredov, who was first to the rebound, set the final score at 2:0.

 In another second-round match, Jordan achieved a big victory over Chinese Taipei 6:0. For the winners, Mo'men Al-Saket scored twice (32nd and 52nd minutes), and Odeh Al-Fakhouri (36th), Ali Azaizeh (43rd), Mohammad Abu Hazeem Kahlan (45+1) each scored once. Another goal for Chinese Taipei player Huang Chun-Lin was recorded as an own goal in the 81st minute.

Thus, after two rounds, the youth teams of Jordan and Turkmenistan both have 6 points, but Jordan occupies the first place due to a better goal difference. In the final round, the teams will face each other. The outcome of this match will determine who in group "A" will earn the right to play in the final tournament of the Asian Cup 2026.

Recall that 44 teams are participating in the qualification for the 2026 Youth Asian Cup, divided into 11 qualifying groups. The group winners, as well as the four best second-placed teams, will qualify for the final part of the Asian Cup, which will take place from January 7 to 25, 2026, for the first time in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Arabia youth team qualified directly for the final stage of the tournament as hosts.

Results of the second-round matches in other groups:

Group "B" (matches held in Yangon, Myanmar): Myanmar – Japan 1:2, Afghanistan – Kuwait 0:1. Standings: Japan – 6 points, Kuwait – 4, Myanmar – 1, Afghanistan – 0.

Group "C" (matches held in Viet Tri, Vietnam): Bangladesh – Yemen 0:1, Singapore – Vietnam 0:1. Standings: Vietnam – 6 points, Yemen – 6, Singapore – 0, Bangladesh – 0.

Group "D" (matches held in Xi'an, China): East Timor – Australia 0:6, Northern Mariana Islands – China 0:10. Standings: Australia – 6 points, China – 6, East Timor – 0, Northern Mariana Islands – 0.

Group "E" (matches held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan): Sri Lanka – Palestine 0:5, Kyrgyzstan – Uzbekistan 2:2. Standings: Uzbekistan – 4 points, Kyrgyzstan – 4, Palestine – 3, Sri Lanka – 0.

Group "F" (matches held in Pathum Thani, Thailand): Mongolia – Malaysia 0:7, Lebanon – Thailand 2:2. Standings: Thailand – 4 points, Lebanon – 4, Malaysia – 3, Mongolia – 0.

Group "G" (matches held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia): Oman – Iraq 0:1, Pakistan – Cambodia 0:1. Standings: Iraq – 6 points, Cambodia – 4, Oman – 1, Pakistan – 0.

Group "H" (matches held in Doha, Qatar): Brunei – Bahrain 0:10, India – Qatar 1:2. Standings: Qatar – 6 points, Bahrain – 3, India – 3, Brunei – 0.

Group "I" (matches held in Abu Dhabi, UAE): Guam – Iran 0:6, Hong Kong – UAE 0:2. Standings: UAE – 6 points, Iran – 6, Hong Kong – 0, Guam – 0.

Group "J" (matches held in Sidoarjo, Indonesia): Laos – Republic of Korea 0:7, Macau – Indonesia 0:5. Standings: Republic of Korea – 6 points, Indonesia – 4, Laos – 1, Macau – 0.

Group "K" (matches held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan): Nepal – Syria 2:4, Philippines – Tajikistan 1:0. Standings: Syria – 6, Tajikistan – 3, Philippines – 3, Nepal – 0.