AFC President Mohamed Bin Hammam (middle) giving away the trophy to Dordoi-Dynamo captain Ruslan Sydykov. Photo by: AFC/Stanley Chou.

KUCHING: Ildar Amirov’s extra-time winner helped Dordoi-Dynamo of Kyrgyzstan defeat archrivals FC Vakhsh of Tajikistan and lift the AFC President’s Cup title here at the Sarawak Stadium today. The win also avenged Dordoi’s group stage loss at the hands of the Tajik side and helped to banish memories of last year’s defeat to another Tajik outfit Regar-Tadaz in the inaugural edition’s final in Kathmandu. Amirov scored both the goals for the champions and was deservingly named Man-of-the-Final. At regulation time, the teams were tied 1-1. The first half started tentatively. It was obvious both teams had utmost respect for each other and were cautious not to be too adventurous. This reduced the game to a crawl. There were scattered attempts but mostly feeble. However, in the first decent attempt of the game, Dordoi-Dynamo went ahead. A swift counter-attack from the right saw Ildar Amirov tucking away the cross in the 36th minute. It was a rejuvenated Vakhsh side in the second half. The pace picked up with Vakhsh attacking relentlessly, and Dordoi forced into deep defence. Vakhsh had to wait only seven minutes when they found the equaliser through Sohib Savankulov.Again, the match was played at a fiery pace. It was obvious that the legs were getting weaker and that the fitter side would emerge winners. Amirov could have sealed the game for Dordoi, but twice his attempts hit the woodwork - first the crossbar and the second, finding the right upright. The tenacity and endurance of the teams were taken to the limits when the game was forced into extra-time. Fourteen minutes after the short breather, Amirov unleashed a sizzling half-volley which left Vakhsh goalkeeper Aslidin Khabibulloev rooted. Desperation drove Vakhsh to push all 10 men upfield into the Dordoi half. Dordoi's plan was just to play the remaining game out, continuously frustrating the Vakhsh frontline. It was sheer relief for Dordoi when referee Sun Baojie of China signaled the end of the punishing final. Dordoi coach Boris Podkorytov expressed his delight after the match. “Obviously, the result is good for us. The players were very motivated, especially because of the disappointment of losing in the final last year and the group match defeat,” said Podkorytov, who also coaches the Kyrgyzstan national team. “Vakhsh were worthy opponents. They had some chances but didn’t score and we had some chances as well and were unlucky.” Vakhsh coach Uraz Turaqulov said: “Dordoi have several national players and so it is not a surprise they are such a great team.” “I don’t think there is anything we would do differently if we were to play them again. My biggest challenge was to raise the quality of our game which has been going down since we beat Dordoi in our opening game. “And as my players showed, we succeeded in doing that. The game could have gone either way and we were unfortunate, it didn’t go our way this time.” Roman Kornilov, who won the Most Valuable Player award, said: “This is really the icing on the cake. We won the title and that’s obviously the most important thing for me.” “The second award – Golden Boot – really makes me feel good. I also think my teammate Ildar Amirov fully deserves the Man of the Final award as well. He scored both our goals and was unlucky that he didn’t get at least one more. What can I say? This has been a great night for all of us.”