Turkmenistan’s football club Ahal defeated Tajikistan’s Regar-TadAZ 2–1 to secure a place in the group stage of the AFC Champions League 2, Turkmenistan’s official media reported on Wednesday.
The match took place on August 13 at TALCO Arena in Tursunzoda. In the 62nd minute, Bagtyyar Gurgenov opened the scoring with a header off a corner kick delivered by Elman Tagayev. Just two minutes later, the home side equalized, but in the 82nd minute, Suleyman Mirzoev converted a pass from Hakmukhammet Bashimov to seal the win for the Turkmen club.
The 2024–25 season marks the second since the Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) restructured its club competitions into three tiers: the AFC Champions League, AFC Champions League 2, and the AFC Challenge League. The new tournament replaces the AFC Cup, in which Turkmenistan’s Altyn Asyr reached the final in 2018.
Ahal’s victory allows Turkmenistan to field two clubs in the AFC Champions League 2 group stage for the first time. Joining Ahal in the group stage will be Arkadag, the winner of the AFC Challenge League. Saudi club Al Nassr, featuring global star Cristiano Ronaldo, will also compete in the AFC Champions League 2. The teams’ opponents will be determined in the draw on August 15.
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