Tuv Buganuud Earns Historic Promotion

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Tuv Buganuud (Central Deer) has secured its first promotion to the Mongolian Premier League in 2022 through its play-off series victory over Khoromkhon FC.

Tuv Buganuud, the 1st League's runner-up, and Khoromkhon FC, the Premier League's 9th-place finisher, wrapped up its two-match series yesterday, 19 October.

Two days earlier, the Deer started the series off strong, taking a 1-nil lead into the second-half of Match 1 thanks to a 27th-minute strike from B. Ariunbold. The forward was the regular season's third highest scorer with 11 goals. His club then took a 2-0 lead late into the match thanks to a 72nd-minute tally from R. Otgonpurev.

The lead was cut in half by Khoromkhon with a 78th-minute strike from Ts. Sukh-Erdene. The excitement was short-lived, however, after Tuv Buganuud scored two quick goals from L. Otgonbaayar (80') and another from Otgonpurev (86') with just four minutes left in regulation time.

But Khoromkhon did not give up. The club scored two goals in stoppage time (Izuno Yusei 90', T. Menkhbaatar 90+3') to close the match 4-3 and shrink Central Deer's advantage going into the second match to one goal.

Match 2 started similarly to the last with Tuv Buganuud scoring an early goal from B. Bat-Ireedui in the 27th minute. Khoromkhon FC fans were given reason for hope just seven minutes later when the club leveled through a Watanabe Tsukasa strike.

However, in the end another strike from talisman B. Ariunbold secured the comfortable 2-1 victory on the day and 6-4 series aggregate to secure Tuv Buganuud's first Premier League promotion.

Conversely, Khoromkon is sent back down to the 1st League after a single season in the top flight. The club, which was Mongolia's AFC Cup participant as recently as 2016, has bounced between relegation and promotion every season since.