It was the unlikely guise of the Tajik Higher League that took the spotlight amidst a global pandemic this weekend, as the Central Asian nation’s domestic league calendar got underway behind closed doors.
The standout game of the weekend was the all-star Super Cup final between six-time consecutive league champions Istiklol and perennial runners up Khujand FC.
TAJIK SUPERCUP
While the underdogs, Khujand, took an early lead, Istiklol’s knack for grinding out a result late on was there for all to see, scoring two second-half goals to seal their third Super Cup triumph in a row.
Istiklol’s remarkable stranglehold on Tajik football is extended further with yet another piece of silverware; their 10th successive domestic trophy that includes three league titles, two TFF Cups, two league cups & now three Super Cups, underlining their superiority, and the unarguable gap that perpetuates between themselves and their nearest competitor Khujand.
As was the case when the two met last month in their AFC Cup opener however, Khujand was comfortably on top early on, stretching a sloppy looking and flat-footed Istiklol defence, and providing the absurdly committed Rustam Yatimov with a number of headaches.
In the end though, cometh the hour, cometh the man. Legendary striker Manuchekhr Dzhalilov came up with the breakthrough, netting the equaliser with 15 minutes remaining. It was a goal that had been coming on the second half’s play and was doubled within minutes by fellow Tajik international Muhammadjon Rakhimov.
Istiklol’s flexing of its considerable muscle was only one side of a truly surreal showpiece opener. However, there was an event quite noticeable and self-aware of its place in the gaze of a locked-down world watching from home.
Prior to kick-off, the players stood for a minute of silence to support those affected by COVID-19 (ominous, given Tajikistan haven’t yet had a confirmed case of the virus), while a banner, commissioned and endorsed by the TFF, relayed their opposition to the spread of the outbreak (ironic at a time where they’ve arranged the return of the domestic calendar, but anyway...).
It’s no surprise how unique an opportunity this was for Tajikistan as a country, let alone its football scene, and it was engineered as such in a barrage of carefully worded social media posts over the weekend that built on the legend of being “the only match in the world” being played at that moment.
TAJIK HIGHER LEAGUE
Sunday’s matches saw the arrival of the domestic calendar proper, struck a much purer tone, as the raw unadulterated joy that is an afternoon’s slate of league fixtures took centre stage.
FC Khatlon became an unlikely name to top the table after the opening weekend, mounting an impressive second-half comeback to defeat Istaravshan, who notably scored the first Tajik league goal of 2020. Ehson Boboev’s 94th winner ensured the 2009 champions would grab the first victory witnessed this season.
Elsewhere, Regar-TadAZ couldn’t turn their possession and pressure into a breakthrough away at Kuktosh, while the promoted duo of Lokomotiv-Pamir & Fayzkand played out an entertaining four-goal draw, featuring equal amounts of brilliance (Shahrom Sulaimonov’s sumptuous equaliser tops the bill) and calamity (some of the defending was less than ordinary).
And so,the 2020 Tajik league season kicks off impressively on the pitch, if not in the stands (for now). With leagues suspending by the day, it’s worth savouring competitive football of any standard, form or atmosphere; midweek domestic openers for last season’s top two will ensure we’ll come racing back for yet more Tajik football in the coming days.