“Dainava Lacked Ambition”: Why Mergen Orazov Left Lithuania and His New Team Will Face Cristiano Ronaldo

Мерген Оразов
Mergen Orazov Photo by vestiabad.ru

“The club’s management believed that the team would stay in the top division anyway and, by doing so, effectively led it toward relegation. They failed to build a competitive squad. Many players left, and those who replaced them were, to put it mildly, far from the strongest. Almost none of the newcomers managed to break into the starting lineup. The candidates were not discussed with the head coach — he was simply informed after the fact. Orazov was offered the chance to stay, but without sensing any real ambition to return to the A Lyga, Mergen decided to leave the club,” Osipov explained.

Orazov previously served as head coach of the Turkmenistan national team and FC Ahal. In the summer of 2025, he took charge of Dainava, who were bottom of the Lithuanian league without a single win at the time. Orazov initially managed to turn the situation around and lift the team out of the relegation zone, but over the long run the club failed to secure survival in the A Lyga.

After leaving Dainava, Orazov joined Arkadag, who are preparing for AFC Champions League Two playoff matches against Al Nassr of Saudi Arabia, led by Cristiano Ronaldo.

Читайте также

‘A team cannot run itself’: Farrukh Marofiev on Khujand, Eskhata and why Sughd football needs reform

For years, Farrukh Marofiev’s career was closely tied to Khujand. He worked with the first team, helped shape recruitment and the club’s structure, and...

Radnik’s Uzbek ‘transfer bomb’ for their centenary: Why Otabek Shukurov chose Serbia

Uzbekistan international Otabek Shukurov will continue his career with Serbian side Radnik Surdulica. Just a few months ago, the midfielder featured in all three...

‘I don’t want Uzbek players to follow China’s path’: Cannavaro on Infantino, the national-team ‘rat’ and the €4m salary claim

Fabio Cannavaro has made one thing clear after Uzbekistan’s first World Cup: qualification cannot be treated as the end point. If the national team...