Turkmenistan’s football club Arkadag triumphed in the AFC Challenge League final, defeating Cambodia’s Svay Rieng 2–1 to claim the tournament title.
Both teams were surprise finalists. In the semifinals, Arkadag and Svay Rieng overcame higher-ranked opponents who had previously beaten them in the group stage. The Turkmen side knocked out Kuwait’s Al-Arabi (0–2, 3–0), while the Cambodian team eliminated Indonesia’s Madura United (3–0, 3–3).
Ahead of the final, analysts favored Svay Rieng, which featured a lineup packed with Brazilian players. The match was also held on home turf in Cambodia. Nonetheless, Arkadag once again proved that success is possible even without foreign players.
The final was evenly contested. Arkadag opened the scoring in the 59th minute when Merdan Saparov found the net following a corner kick by Shanazar Tyrkishov. Cambodia’s Svay Rieng equalized in the 82nd minute, forcing extra time. The winning goal came in the 112th minute, scored by Altymyrat Annadurdiyev.
Tyrkishov was named the tournament’s best player, while Annadurdiyev emerged as top scorer with five goals.
Background:
The Challenge League is the AFC’s third-tier club competition. Though new in format, it is seen as a revival of the AFC President’s Cup, held between 2005 and 2014. Interestingly, the last two editions of the President’s Cup were also won by Turkmen clubs - Balkan and MTTU.
The 2024/2025 Challenge League features 20 clubs, with 16 advancing to the group stage. Participating countries include Turkmenistan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Syria, Bangladesh, Oman, the Maldives, Palestine, Indonesia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Taiwan, Laos, and Mongolia. The remaining spots are determined through a qualifying stage involving clubs from Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, Bhutan, and Nepal.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
May 12, 2025