ACL 2 playoff: New-look FC Goa ready for mysterious Arkadag | Goa News
Panaji: You must have heard of FK Arkadag. The club was founded by former Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, and since their direct entry into the top tier league, Yokary Liga, in 2023, the club has not dropped a single league point.Arkadag have won every league and cup match in Turkmenistan over the past three seasons — 99 in total – and will now face FC Goa in the AFC Champions League Two playoff at the Arkadag Stadium on Wednesday.Arkadag are also one of the most secretive and mysterious teams in world football, so it should surprise nobody that footage of their league matches is not available. This season, they have won all 14 matches and have a goal difference of +51.“We have tried to prepare based on their matches in last season’s ACL 2,” coach Gouramangi Singh told TOI before the team left for Turkmenistan with halts in Delhi, Turkey and Ashgabat. “With whatever little research we could do on them, we saw that the players are similar (this season), same coach. This was the best we could do.”Arkadag made it to the round of 16 in last season’s ACL2 before succumbing to the might of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr FC. They lost games at home and away 1-0.“Against Al-Nassr, Arkadag played with five at the back, and it’s not how they usually play. They were defensive against a stronger side. Against us, I expect them to play a normal 4-2-3-1, a style they use when they play teams of similar strength. We will be tested to the limit, it will be tough, and we have to be ready to suffer,” said Gouramangi, the first domestic coach for the Goan club.Last season, Gouramangi was seated next to coach Manolo Marquez on the bench and celebrated wildly when Goa put it across Oman champions Al Seeb in the playoff to make it to the ACL 2 group stage.The current team is completely unrecognisable from the one that triumphed last season.There’s just captain Sandesh Jhingan and Udanta Singh remaining from the regulars. Four new foreign players have arrived; two of them – Franchu and Alex Vallejo – trained for a week in Goa, Spanish striker Chiki had just one training session while defender Alex Zalaya joins the team directly in Turkmenistan.In the absence of Mohammad Yasir, forced to train with the reserves since he’s no longer part of the plans, and Akash Sangwan, who, at his own request, parted ways with the club before end of last season, Gouramangi will have to bank on newcomers Isak Vanlalruatfela and Tomba Singh. Bob Jackson could be first choice in goal.“We need to stay together till the end,” said Gouramangi. “We don’t have competitive games under our belt and the whole team has not trained together for long too. I strongly believe we will have our moments (against Arkadag). We have some boys who, if they can rise up to the occasion, finish three-four chances that we get, maybe we can spring a surprise in Turkmenistan.”
