“I want to congratulate the Australian team,” said Agamyradow. “We had a plan, we played well defensively and on the counter-attacks. My team showed character when they tried to fight back.

“I’m disappointed with the result but in hindsight, I’m very proud to have players like this, who showed their bravery on the field. I’m glad we’re able to get this type of experience as this is our first time playing in this tournament. We reached the quarter-finals and this is a huge achievement for Turkmenistan football.”

Turkmenistan were only the third debutants, following Malaysia and Palestine, to reach the quarter-finals and Agamyradow thanked the fans for their support.

“We’ve had very good support from the fans, who came to watch us play throughout the tournament. Some were from Tashkent, while the others travelled from abroad. I’m happy to see all of them and I want to say thank you. 

“We needed this support and we felt their support during our matches. I also would like to thank my family and those who were supporting us from Turkmenistan. They sent us words of encouragement and we really appreciate it.”