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Tajikistan players and coaches celebrate the 2023 Asian Cup qualifiers at the Dolen Omurzakov Stadium in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, June 14, 2022. Tajikistan qualified ahead of their match against Kyrgyzstan, which did not score.
Agency News
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, football remained a common sport in Central Asia. A nation becomes the dominant nation that many others wish to emulate. In the regions where Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan each compete in Asia’s top continental competition, there is one more country to claim the title by 2022.
Unfortunately missing out on the 2019 Asian Cup, Tajikistan is on a mission to make history. Until early 2019, a country that had achieved modestly significant results at youth level never translated to senior level. More than 30 years after participating in international competition for the first time after independence, Tajikistan has completed its mission to become the only one of the 24 nations to make their debut at the 2023 Asian Cup.
Brutal elimination at the beginning of opportunity
June 17, 2022 will mark the 30th anniversary of Tajikistan’s 2-2 victory over Uzbekistan in its first post-independence match, although Tajikistan did not play its first FIFA-sanctioned game until 1994. In earlier years, Tajikistan played against other Central Asian nations, including a 1-0 loss to the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1994. Tournaments are also few and far between (especially in the 2000s), with Tajikistan not participating in the 1995 tournament.
On May 8, 1996, Tajikistan took part in the next tournament, the first ever qualifying round for Tajikistan to compete in a major tournament of the same year. With Bahrain out of the 1996 Asian Cup qualifiers, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan will have a two-legged contest to determine who will make their tournament debut. Tajikistan got off to a strong start in the first leg at the Tajikistan National Stadium (Pamir Stadium) in Dushanbe. Khakim Fuzaylov put Tajikistan on after just three minutes from the penalty spot. The score remained unchanged until two goals from club team-mate Alijo Asulmammadov added two goals in three minutes and Tajikistan looked set to secure a famous victory. Arsen Avakov added another goal late in the game and a 4-0 first-leg seemed to be enough.
But the second leg on 19 June 1996 was very different. Uzbekistan made up for it, with Myalor Kosimov hitting both free throws in the first half. The second game went to extra time and the game ended five minutes later when Zafardyon Musabayev scored his only goal for Uzbekistan, leading Uzbekistan to the 1996 Asian Cup title.
The following year, Tajikistan participated in World Cup qualifiers for the first time. Despite Tajikistan’s double victories against Turkmenistan and Vietnam, Tajikistan scored only one point against the People’s Republic of China and lost 1-0 at home on 11 May 1997 (Hao Haidong goal) knocked Tajikistan out of the qualifying round.
Missing out would be a central theme in Tajikistan for the next quarter century.
the golden ticket that never came
Missing out on the 1996 Asian Cup was brutal for Tajikistan, but for the next continental cycle, missing out on the 2000 Asian Cup, albeit in a round-robin format, was devastating. Tajikistan lost their opening match to Iraq, who eventually qualified. From 1996 to 2004, Tajikistan only played two friendly games, and the rest of the games were mainly World Cup, Asian Cup and Asian Games qualifiers. One such match included a 2002 World Cup qualifier against Guam on 26 November 2000, a 16-0 victory that remains the country’s biggest to date.
In April 2006, Tajikistan took part in a new tournament to promote football in other emerging Asian countries due to a lack of matches outside of qualifying rounds. Tajikistan was invited to participate in the 2006 AFC Challenge Cup in Bangladesh. Tajikistan scored 18 goals during the World Cup, six of them in the quarterfinals against the hosts. Yusuf Rabiev and Çomixon Muxiddinov scored four goals each, with the latter scoring a hat-trick against Sri Lanka to claim Tajikistan’s first title. Two years later, Tajikistan will be looking to win again, with the added bonus that the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup winners will take part in the 2011 Asian Cup.
As in two years ago, Rabiev scored four goals (all in the group stage), including a hat-trick against Afghanistan, to help the country reach the semi-finals. Tajikistan advanced to the final, a replay of the group stage against hosts India. In the end, India took a 3-0 lead, although Fatehuloyev scored in the 44th minute, but Chetty scored a hat-trick and led India to their first Asian Cup since 1984.
The following years saw mixed results for Tajikistan until 2013. Tajikistan is trying to replicate the success of the 2006 Challenge Cup, and this event is Tajikistan’s only chance to qualify for the Asian Cup. Tajikistan missed out on a second chance at the 2011 Asian Cup, with Turkmenistan winning the semi-finals in Colombo, Sri Lanka. 2011 was a busier than expected year for Tajikistan, starting with qualifying for the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup. Despite losing twice to Syria in the qualifying stages of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Tajikistan advanced as Syria sent an ineligible player in those matches. Second chances represented a difficult period, with Tajikistan suffering its worst defeat to date (8-0 to Japan on 11 October 2011), with Akhtam Khamrakulov scoring the only goal in the group stage, A 1-1 draw with North Korea on 29 February 2012 prevented Tajikistan from becoming pointless.
A few days later, Tajikistan turned its attention to the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup but failed to exit the group stage, with North Korea eventually winning the tournament and qualifying for the 2015 Asian Cup. In 2013, Tajikistan had another opportunity to participate in this intercontinental championship, but failed to qualify for the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup. In 2013, Tajikistan ranked lowest, but Asia is changing, and this may be Tajikistan’s fate.
Changes at the continental level
Tajikistan played the most matches (19) in the AFC Challenge Cup which ended in 2014. In that year, Asia’s governing body said the expansion of the 24-team tournament would mean more opportunities for other developing and emerging nations to compete in continental competitions, notably doubling qualification for the 2018 World Cup qualifiers. When the draw was made on April 15, 2015, Tajikistan found its iconic opponent to be Australia, which had won the Asian Cup earlier that year.
The road to the Asian Cup got off to a poor start as Tajikistan lost 3-1 at home to Hassan Abdel-Fattah’s hat-trick. Another defeat almost came four days later, until Fatkhullo Fatkhulloyev’s 80th-minute goal saved a 1-1 draw with Bangladesh. In the second round, Tajikistan only won one game in eight games. The obvious loss occurred in Bishkek. Although Tajikistan led 2-1, it was equalized by a penalty kick. Farkhod Vasiyev received a red card late in the game for a penalty which also resulted in a four-match ban.
The star of Tajikistan in these qualifiers is Mauchekhr Dzhalilov, who is by far the top scorer in the history of the Tajik nation. His six goals tied for seventh in the second qualifying round, including four in a 5-0 win over Bangladesh. However, Tajikistan, who are fourth in the group, had to play in the play-offs to continue their progress as Indonesia was expelled from the tournament. The result was a 6-0 aggregate win over Bangladesh in two matches in June 2016. When the draw was finalized in January 2017, Tajikistan was hoping to be one of two debutant nations in Group F, with the Philippines, Yemen and Nepal also vying for a spot in the 2019 Asian Cup.
Tajikistan failed to hold onto their lead against Yemen in Doha, Qatar, despite Parvizdzhon Umarbayev’s ninth-minute goal giving them an early lead. Egashev’s own goal and Al-Sasi’s goal meant Tajikistan’s defeat. Less than three months after that game, the home game against the Philippines on June 13, 2017 would be the top-scoring match in Group F, but Tajikistan trailed 3-0 after 48 minutes. Tajikistan made it 3-2 in four minutes before Daisuke Sato doubled the lead. Despite Dzhalilov’s goal, Tajikistan lost both of their opening games.
Tajikistan’s two victories against Nepal, including the second in which three players scored in a penalty shoot-out, make the match against Yemen on November 14, 2017 a key game for Tajikistan. Unfortunately, home advantage doesn’t count and a draw with Yemen means only a victory over the Philippines will seal Tajikistan’s qualification.
According to the January 2017 FIFA World Rankings, even at 132nd, Tajikistan is the highest-rated Asian country among the 24 entrants who missed out on the 2019 Asian Cup. This disappointment also led to Khakim Fuzaylov’s resignation as Tajikistan coach.
Tajikistan’s Nuriddin Davronov (#9) and Bangladesh’s Sohel Rana (#11) battle for possession during their 2018 World Cup qualifier match at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh, June 16, 2015.The game ended 1-1
FIFA/Getty Images
Tajikistan narrowly missed out on Asian Cup 2019
Looking Back: Before They Represented a Country
Apart from its achievements in the AFC Challenge Cup, Tajikistan has made the most important contribution in youth football since 2006. A centre-back for Tajik club CSKA Dushanbe, Vasiev scored the only goal in the quarter-final against Republic of Korea to confirm Tajikistan’s debut for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, which will be held Hosted by the Republic of Korea in 2007. Vasiev also played in the country’s first FIFA U-17 World Cup match on 20 August 2007, scoring the country’s first goal before half-time against Samad Shohzukhurov in a 2-1 Tajikistan US team. Even with the US leading 3-2, Tajikistan was undeterred, with Nuriddin Davronov leveling the score 3-3 in the 82nd minute before Davronov scored four minutes later.
The 4-3 win remains a landmark victory in Tajikistan football history so far, and more importantly, subsequent losses to Belgium and Tunisia were enough to beat Japan and South Korea on goal difference. One of the best four third-place teams.
Tajikistan eventually lost to Peru on penalties in the round of 16, and Vasiev was the only player from both countries to miss a penalty. Despite this, 10 of the 21 players selected for the national team in 2007 still represented the national team, including the current top scorer of the national team Dzhalilov (first appeared in 2011), the current national team leader Elgar Shev (72, first appeared in 2008), Fathuloyev (71 appearances between 2007 and 2019) and Davronov.
It took another 12 years for Tajikistan to return to the World Cup at this level, beating Jane as runners-up in the AFC Under-16 Championship in Malaysia. Rustam Soirov scored the winning penalty against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in the quarterfinals to confirm their participation in the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Brazil while still at the semifinals. Scored in another penalty shootout in the final to eliminate South Korea.
In 2007, Tajikistan won its opening match, beating Cameroon, before losing the next two games to Spain and Argentina. The result was less than ideal this time around, with Tajikistan eliminated in the group stage. Still, the tournament also provides a stepping stone to…
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