Kazakhstan's men's national football team suffered a home defeat to Moldova in their third-round match of the 2026/27 UEFA Nations League. The game took place at Astana Arena and was Kazakhstan's first home match in the current campaign, according to infohub.kz.
The teams compete in Group C3 of the third tier. The visitors won 2-1 thanks to goals from midfielder Nichita Clescenco (45+1) and forward Petru Popescu (50).
The hosts' only goal was scored by defender Nuraly Alip (64). It was his debut goal for Kazakhstan, with the assist coming from midfielder and captain Bauyrzhan Islamkhan.
In the 74th minute, defender Sergei Malyi came on as a substitute. He equalled Samat Smakov's record for most appearances for Kazakhstan — 76.
The national team has now lost two matches in a row. Under Dutch coach John van 't Schip, they have yet to win.
With one point, Kazakhstan dropped to last place, fourth in the group. Moldova have four points and moved up to second.
Slovakia lead the table with a maximum six points. The Faroe Islands are third with two points. These two teams will play each other later in the third round.
Kazakhstan will close the international window with a home match against the Faroe Islands. It will take place on 6 October at Astana Arena and kick off at 19:00.