The players of “Arkadag” have not yet lost their chance to advance to the quarterfinals of the AFC Champions League Two — the second-tier club tournament in Asia. This was stated by the Turkmen team’s head coach Mergen Orazov following the first leg of the Round of 16 against Saudi Arabia’s “Al-Nassr”. The match took place in Ashgabat at the Olympic Stadium and ended with a 1–0 victory for the visitors. Speaking at the post-match press conference and answering questions from local and foreign journalists, the “Arkadag” coach summed up the game and thanked the fans for their support.

“First of all, I would like to express my deep gratitude to the respected Hero-Arkadag and to the respected President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov for creating the opportunities for the development of sports in our country and for enabling us to hold this match at a high organizational level,” said Mergen Orazov. “Unfortunately, we were unable to achieve a positive result — we lost 0–1. At the same time, I want to thank all the players. They did everything within their power. Unfortunately, the forces on the field were unequal. “Al-Nassr” have strong footballers from Europe, as well as players from the Saudi Arabian national team. But there is still the return leg ahead. So we have not yet lost our chance of reaching the quarterfinals.

“In the first half “Arkadag” looked weaker on the field, while in the second half they performed much better. What happened during that short period of time? What are you planning to do to improve the team’s performance in the return match?”

 “As I mentioned, the gap between “Arkadag” and “Al-Nassr” is very significant. In the first 20 minutes we indeed did not play well. And a single mistake in the 19th minute cost us defeat in the first game. But we still have a chance, and we will try to take advantage of it in the return leg. We have already discussed all the mistakes with the players, reviewed our tactics, our attacking and defensive actions, analyzed our performance, and we will try to correct all the shortcomings in the future. Arkadag are participating in the AFC Champions League Two for the first time, while “Al-Nassr” have been competing in such tournaments for several seasons.”

“What are your plans for the return match? Are you going to change your tactics? What exactly are you going to do during the short preparation period before the return game on February 18?”

“Today we gave the players a rest so they can recover physically. Starting tomorrow, we will begin working on our mistakes, study our weaknesses, and try to eliminate them at their root. In the return match we will change our tactics and try to play in a completely different way. The “Al-Nassr” players have ongoing matches and no rest, while we currently do not have matches. We will train hard throughout the week so that in the return game we can perform at the proper level.”

“What did you do to relieve the psychological pressure on the players? It was clearly noticeable during the first 20 minutes of the match. How do the players spend their free time? Is it all training, theory, training, theory?”

“The players wanted to repay the fans who came to the stadium, and the whole country, for their tremendous support. So there was a certain amount of pressure. For this reason, at the beginning of the game, not everything we had worked on was coming together. In the second half, that tension eased somewhat and it became easier. As I said, during the first two days after the match there would be rehabilitation — not only physical but also psychological. We will give the players some time off so they can recover and move on from this defeat. So there is also planned work on the psychological aspect.”

“For the first time in history, a grand and atmospherically impressive football match was held at the Olympic Stadium. How did you find the atmosphere at this arena? And do you think it is possible to host international matches at this stadium in the future?”

“The atmosphere at the stadium was magnificent. In this regard, I would once again like to thank our fans for their powerful support — everyone who came to the match and those who watched it on television. Such support means a lot to us. I believe this is the strength of football, when the whole country unites in support of the players, who in turn want to repay the fans. Many thanks to our leaders for such a grand event. The stadium is amazing! The atmosphere is amazing! We hope that we will be able to continue hosting matches of the Turkmenistan national team here, and perhaps also games of “Arkadag”.”