Matchweek 16 has come to an end. We recap the latest action from the League’s flagship competition.
Kairat Break Down KFF Academy Late On
The only team yet to drop a single point this season preserved their perfect record – although the Yellow-Blacks were made to work for it.
KFF Academy defended well and held out until the 88th minute. Substitute Islam Rakym finally opened the scoring before Roman Chernomorets added a second in stoppage time to seal a 2–0 victory.
It was Kairat’s 16th win in 16 matches: 48 points from a possible 48, 67 goals scored and only five conceded. The Almaty side have now won two consecutive matches by a margin of just two goals. The Yellow-Blacks played this match without their leading scorer Daulet Orynbasar.
KFF Academy received four yellow cards in the match. For Askhat Dutpayev, it was his fourth booking of the season – meaning the midfielder will miss the next match through suspension.
Shakhter Drop Points Again
The second-placed side dropped points in Kostanay as Tobyl and Shakhter played out a 1–1 draw.
Shakhter defender Kirill Satzhanov opened the scoring in the 39th minute, but the hosts responded after the break through Nazar Zakharchenko in the 66th.
It was already the fifth draw of the season for the Karaganda side, leaving them 13 points behind Kairat with six matchweeks remaining.
Tobyl remain the lowest-scoring team in the competition with just 15 goals. However, they have conceded only 17 – the third-best defensive record behind Kairat (5) and Shakhter (9).
Zhas Kyran Fight Back from 0–2 Down
The most dramatic match of the round took place in Almaty. Ordabasy led 2–0 at half-time thanks to a brace from Dilshod Nazimbekov, with little suggesting that the Shymkent side were about to run into trouble.
The turning point came in the 70th minute when visiting defender Asadbek Abdulkhakimov received his second yellow card for a foul inside the penalty area.
Alan Lukanin then took centre stage: he first converted the resulting penalty before equalising in the 78th minute.
The hosts then produced a late goal rush: Artur Glushkov put Zhas Kyran ahead in the 83rd minute, Sergey Sharunov converted another penalty in the 90th, and Lukanin completed his hat-trick in stoppage time. Substitute Adilbek Turdakh’s strike proved to be no more than a consolation for Ordabasy as the match ended 5–3.
The victory reduced Zhas Kyran’s gap to third-placed Ordabasy to five points.
Kaisar End Losing Streak
In Kyzylorda, the Wolves defeated Caspiy 4–1 to end a run of four consecutive defeats.
The visitors actually opened the scoring through Ramazan Amangeldiyev in the eighth minute, but the hosts then took complete control: Yernur Seitbekov and Nurym Talgat scored once each before Yernar Parda added a brace.
There was a downside to the victory, however. Both Parda and team captain Nurym Talgat received their fourth yellow cards of the season and will therefore miss the next match through suspension.
Taraz Rescue a Point at the Death
The match in Aktobe ended in a 2–2 draw, with all four goals coming after half-time.
Ayan Amanzhulov opened the scoring in the 51st minute before Remzi Ali-Ogly equalised in the 81st. Shortly afterwards, Asher Askhat restored Aktobe’s lead from an Amanzhulov assist, but Bilyal Sadykov had the final say late on.
Interestingly, both Taraz goals were scored by players who had come off the bench in the 72nd minute.
Dropping points prevented the Red-Whites from pulling away from a tightly packed group of rivals: although Aktobe sit fifth in the table, only one point separates them from eighth-placed Taraz.
Irtysh Claim Away Victory
The Pavlodar side left the capital with all three points after beating Astana 3–2. The visitors were already 3–1 up by half-time, with Madiyar Yesen scoring twice and Aldiyar Smagulov adding another.
Amandyk Khamidullin and Mansur Alikhan, who scored from Khamidullin’s assist, found the net for the hosts, but Astana were unable to complete the comeback. Their disciplinary record also stood out – five yellow cards in the match.
Irtysh remain bottom of the table but have reduced the gap to Caspiy to just one point.
Top scorer after Matchweek 16: Daulet Orynbasar (Kairat, 17 goals).
Top assist provider after Matchweek 16: Ayan Amanzhulov (Aktobe, 8 assists).
