In the first round of the Turkmenistan Higher League, "Ahal" from Anau delivered a dominant performance, defeating Ashgabat’s "Kopetdag" with a convincing 5-1 scoreline. The match, held at the Kopetdag Stadium in the capital, saw the home side take full control from the start. "Ahal" effectively secured the win in the first half by netting three goals before the break.

The goal-scorers for "Ahal" were Suleyman Mirzoev (33rd minute), Oraz Orazov (37th), Islam Annamuradov (45th), Hakmuhammed Bashimov (56th), and Yakupmuhammed Bashimov (89th). "Kopetdag's" lone response came from Mekan Amanyazov in the 76th minute. The closing moments of the game were marked by the dismissal of "Ahal" defender Ruslan Priev, who received two yellow cards within a single minute during stoppage time.

Last season, "Ahal" finished as the runners-up in the national championship, while "Kopetdag" ended the campaign in seventh place. Looking ahead, "Ahal" will face a tough away fixture against "Arkadag" on April 12th. Meanwhile, "Kopetdag" is set to host Ashgabat’s "Altyn Asyr" on April 11th for their second-round match.