Karabayeva’s ‘Olympico’ and Shakhtyor players in bandanas: a recap of Matchweek III in the Freedom QJ League W

Tobol’s first victory – with eight goals!

The girls from Kostanay earned their first points of the season with a dominant win over Zhetisu at Tobyl Arena. They netted eight unanswered goals – Amura Karabayeva and Alina Sartayeva both scored twice, while Diana Nurkabayeva, Assem Doskeyeva, Varvara Tsoy, and Assel Sanat added one each.

Special mention goes to Tobol’s opening goal, scored in the 6th minute – Karabayeva found the net with a stunning strike straight from the corner flag.



Kairat remains on top

The team from Almaty continues to dominate their opponents – their home match against Irtysh ended in a 4-1 victory.

A brace from Sofia Yagudina put her at the top of the tournament’s scoring chart. The two Angelinas – Oster and Klenova – also added a goal each. The visitors’ lone goal came from Elizaveta Medvedeva.

Four goals from the girls in bandanas

Ordabasy and Shakhtyor played out a fierce battle that resulted in the first defeat of the season for the team from Shymkent. The southern side opened the scoring in the 12th minute through Aruna Nassirali, assisted by Diana Sitnikova. However, the girls from Karagandy responded before halftime with three goals in just 13 minutes – scored by Saida Dyussembayeva, Tolganay Amantay, and Malika Sarsen.

Early in the second half, Nassirali and Sitnikova combined once again for a successful attack. It seemed like Ordabasy might complete a comeback, but instead, in the 51st minute, Damira Maksat extended Shakhtyor’s lead, sealing the final score at 2-4.

It’s worth noting that Ordabasy could have opened the scoring as early as the 7th minute, but Diana Sitnikova hit the crossbar from the penalty spot.

Saida Dyussembayeva has yet to leave the pitch without scoring. She’s found the net in all three matchweeks so far, with one goal in each game.

Interestingly, the visitors played the match wearing bandanas – a creative way for the Karagandy girls to cope with the Shymkent heat. According to Damira Maksat, the stylish headscarves had a major impact on their success.

Astana’s game-changing substitution

It seemed like the match between the capital’s team and the Red-and-Whites was heading for the first-ever draw in Freedom QJ League W history – but that wasn’t the case. The game was decided in the 82nd minute by 14-year-old Sofya Rybak, assisted by Alziya Zhambyl. It was also Astana’s first goal of the tournament that didn’t involve Assyl Pazyl.

It’s worth noting that Rybak only came on in the 55th minute – meaning it took her very little time to deliver a crucial victory for her team. Also, Aktobe’s players spent most of the match focused on defense – with four of them receiving yellow cards for breaking up promising attacks or committing rough fouls.

As a result, Astana and Kairat remain the only teams yet to drop a single point – both sit on nine points.