Football: for the first time since the takeover of the country by the Taliban, the Afghanistan team has replayed

It was a small match, played in a stadium usually used for athletics training, between the 152nd and 165th nations in the FIFA rankings.

And yet, it was perhaps one of the most important matches of this international break.

This Tuesday in Antalya, Turkey, the Afghanistan national team played their first game since August, and the return to power of the Taliban in their country.

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Asian Cup 2023 goal

On the field side, it was a small match that gave birth to a small score. Against Indonesia, the Afghans won 1-0 thanks to a goal at the very end of the match signed Omid Popalzay. But it is above all the symbolism of the return to life of this team that should be remembered. "I can tell you that the Afghans had only one thing that made them happy, it was their national team," Afghan coach Anoush Dastgir told English media

. Many supporters tell us: “The country is already dead, but try to preserve the national team. "

With the help of FIFA, whose President Gianni Infantino was visiting Qatar at the end of October in an Afghan refugee camp housing more than 150 people, including members of the federation and national teams, the Lions of Khorasan were able to s 'set up in a training camp in Turkey a week before the match, in order to prepare it as well as possible and to meet again. If Tuesday's match was only friendly, it was only the first step for the Afghans to return to competition, the real one.

“I, the technical staff and all the players of the Afghan national football team are moving forward on the path to a historic first presence for Afghan football at the Asian Cup in 2023, explained Dastgir on Instagram.

I have already promised it to you and I will keep my promise.

I am currently in contact with the officials of the Federation and I am working on the holding of the preparatory matches for the next month and the preparation of the qualifying matches for the Asian Cup.

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