Turkmenistan were desperate for a positive result against Nepal on Wednesday as they had suffered a 0-17 drubbing against the hosts, Thailand, in the first game of Group F of the 2026 AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers on Monday.

The draw ended Turkmenistan’s chance for the Asian Cup; however, they earned a point and seemed joyful for securing a point against Nepal, a team they viewed as being better than them. Turkmenistan are ranked 138th in FIFA Women’s Ranking, while Nepal are at 89th.

As soon as the referee blew the final whistle at Chonburi Stadium in Thailand, Turkmenistan players rushed towards their goalkeeper Elnura Maksyutova as her heroic saves prevented Nepal from scoring in the abundance of chances they created.

Nepal were struggling to play the ball well as the ground was wet due to incessant rain. But whenever they managed to take the ball to Turkmenistan’s box and took the shot, Maksyutova was there to the rescue.

How much the draw meant for the Turkmens was visible in the dugout as well. Turkmenistan’s Head Coach Boris Borovik had a big smile and kept his head high after the draw, and the players and staff on the bench were quick to congratulate themselves and enter the ground to share the joy with their teammates, especially with Maksyutova.

The cameraman kept following Maksyutova, whose jersey was stained with mud due to a number of dives and jumps she made to make extraordinary saves and restrict Nepal from scoring a single goal. As the camera caught her, she looked happy with the tears of joy falling down her cheeks.

“I feel good, I am so glad that we gained one point,” Maksyutova, who was adjudged the player of the match, said in the post-match presentation. “We will be improving our game further in the future.”

On the other hand, Nepali players, who had entered the ground to earn three points, walked away with their heads down.

Nepal’s Head Coach Chet Narayan Shrestha was also seen dissatisfied with the result. “Overall, the players played well,” he said while talking to a Nepali journalist after the game. “The rain also affected the game as it impacted the shooting power.”

Shrestha, however, did not hesitate to praise Turkmenistan’s goalkeeper. “She [Maksyutova] was great,” he said. “She made some great saves.”

Shrestha also stressed that he would focus on improving the ability of the strikers before facing Thailand on Friday.

“The game did not go as we expected. The rain also played a major role in it as we kept trying to get that goal,” said Bhumika Budhathoki, Nepal’s skipper. “We will come back better in the next game.”