Aktobe FC defeated Okzhetpes 2-1 at home in the 19th round of the Kazakhstan Premier League, moving the team up to third place in the standings, reports infohub.kz.
The 19th round of Kazakhstan's top division kicked off with three matches, all ending with the same 2-1 scoreline.
Aktobe got off to a poor start this season, but after a coaching change — Bulgarian Nikolay Kostov replaced by Slovak Stefan Tarkovic — the five-time champions gradually found their form. Before the match against Okzhetpes, the surprise package of the first half of the season, Aktobe trailed their third-placed opponents by just two points.
As early as the 5th minute, Macedonian Jani Atanasov scored from a set piece to open the scoring. Midway through the half, another corner from the hosts led to a goal by Temirlan Erlanov, making it 2-0. Just before the break, Okzhetpes' Uzbek midfielder Shakhboz Umarov pulled one back, 2-1. No goals were scored in the second half.
The victory allowed Aktobe to leapfrog both Astana and Okzhetpes in the table. However, the capital club has a game in hand: tomorrow Astana hosts Altai.
The other two matches of the round followed a similar pattern: the visitors opened the scoring, the hosts equalized, and then conceded the decisive goal. In Zhezkazgan, Ulytau lost to Irtysh 1-2, and in Taldykorgan, Zhetysu fell to Kyzylzhar 1-2. The winning goals were scored by Ivorian Jean-Moreno Poe for the Pavlodar side and Cameroonian Stephane Baoken for the Petropavlovsk team. Notably, Kyzylzhar scored the winning goal while playing with ten men after Alexander Sokolenko's red card.
The central match of the round between Kairat and Ordabasy will take place on July 26. On the same day, Tobol will face Atyrau, Yelimay against Kaisar, Astana against Altai, and Kaspiy versus Zhenis.