Tajikistan Futsal national team made history qualified to the FIFA Futsal World Cup for the first time after beating Afghanistan Futsal National Team, scoring 2-1 in the AFC Futsal Asian Cup 2024 Quarter-Final at Indoor Stadium Huamark, Bangkok.
Tajikistan and Afghanistan engaged in a thrilling encounter, showcasing their determination and skill on the football pitch. Tajikistan made an assertive start, with Reza Jafari called into action early on to deny Nekruz Alimakhmadov and Dilshod Salomov.
Despite Tajikistan’s early pressure, Afghanistan gradually gained momentum, with captain Akbar Kazemi hitting the post and Farzad Mahmoodi leveling the scores shortly after the restart.
The match was filled with drama as both teams came close to taking the lead, with Afghanistan particularly unfortunate to see Kazemi’s header striking the post.
In the final minutes of regular time, Tajikistan faced adversity when they were reduced to four men after Idris Yorov received his second yellow card. However, Afghanistan couldn’t capitalize on the numerical advantage during the two-minute penalty period, and the match went into extra time.
After a tense period of goalless play in the first half of extra time, Tajikistan seized their moment of history in the second period. Sardorov’s composed 10-meter penalty secured victory for Tajikistan, etching his name into his country’s record books and sealing a memorable win.
Credit Photo : AFC
