Uzbekistan followed up Friday’s winning start with a dominant 10-0 win over Afghanistan, while Iran beat Turkmenistan 5-0 to secure their second win in a row.
Tajikistan and Kyrgyz Republic cancelled each other out in a 0-0 draw in the late match, with all six sides to reconvene for Matchday Three action on Monday.
Uzbekistan 10-0 Afghanistan
Uzbekistan were far too strong for Afghanistan in Dushanbe, with Tojinisokhon Rashidova bagging four goals in a comprehensive 10-0 win.
It may have only been four degrees Celsius in the Central Republican Stadium but Uzbekistan were red hot from practically the opening whistle, scoring through Diyora Erkinova in the fourth minute, before Rashidova netted in the fifth, 10th and 13th minutes to snuff out Afghanistan’s hopes with only a fraction of the match played.
Nilufar Dadajonova scored in the 35th minute, then again in the first minute of stoppage time to make it 6-0 at the interval, with Erkinova and Rashidova adding goals seven and eight in the 47th and 48th minutes before Madina Vakhidova netted their ninth from the penalty spot six minutes later.
Afghanistan defended relatively strongly in the final 30 minutes to somewhat stem the tide, but Uzbekistan eventually managed to reach double figures in the second minute of added time through Laylo Shodieva, as Bakhrom Norsafarov’s side sent out a warning to the rest of the competition.
IR Iran 5-0 Turkmenistan
Islamic Republic of Iran surged to a second substantial win in as many days, flying out of the blocks with four goals in the opening 23 minutes on the way to a 5-0 victory over Turkmenistan in Hisor.
Fresh from Friday’s 4-0 win over Tajikistan, Iran went ahead through Fatemeh Shaban after just five minutes, with the same player netting the second three minutes later.
Two became three when Hajar Dabbaghi added another goal in the 11th minute and she too completed a brace to make it 4-0 12 minutes later, before Fatemeh Geraeli converted a penalty kick in the last minute before half-time.
Iran’s win gives them six points from two matches, with Uzbekistan ahead on goal difference. The pair are three points clear of third-placed Afghanistan, with the meeting between the two on Tuesday likely to go a long way towards deciding the regional champions.
Tajikistan 0-0 Kyrgyz Republic
Kyrgyz Republic and tournament hosts Tajikistan got their first points of the competition but neither got the win they were looking for as 90 minutes came and went without a decisive goal in Dushanbe.
Both were hopeful of a quick recovery from opening day defeats, but there was little to separate the neighbours in the opening 45 minutes, with wintery weather adding an additional challenge for players from both sides.
A range of second-half substitutions – four from Tajikistan and five from Kyrgyz Republic – were made as both sides hunted a winning goal, but the lack of one means the two sit five points off the pace with three Matchdays remaining.
Monday (all times local): Tajikistan v Afghanistan (Hisor, 1400), Kyrgyz Republic v IR Iran (Dushanbe, 1400), Turkmenistan v Uzbekistan (Dushanbe 1700).
