Kostanay's Tobol suffered a heavy defeat in the first match of the third qualifying round of the 2026/27 Conference League against Belgrade's Partizan. The match, held in the Serbian capital, ended 3-0 in favor of the home team, reports infohub.kz.
The match started with active play from the visitors: already in the 22nd minute, Miroslav Romashchenko's charges hit the opponent's goal. Askhat Tagybergen found Alexander Zuev with a long pass, who brilliantly controlled the ball and shot into the left corner of the goal, but the goal was disallowed due to an offside against Zuev.
Ten minutes later, the hosts opened the scoring. After a corner kick, Senegalese striker Demba Sek volleyed the ball past Danil Ustimenko to make it 1-0.
In the 53rd minute, Partizan scored a second goal through Erik Koizek, but after a VAR review, the goal was disallowed due to an offside against the forward.
However, in the 65th minute, the hosts doubled their lead: Zubairu Ibrahim, receiving a penetrating pass in the box, beat Ustimenko to make it 2-0.
In the 87th minute, Tobol had a great chance to reduce the deficit: after a turnover in midfield, Luis Guerra found himself in a prime scoring position, but the Venezuelan midfielder shot wide.
In stoppage time, Partizan sealed the rout, with Shaka Traore scoring the final goal to make it 3-0.
The return leg will take place on August 13 in Kostanay. To advance to the next round, Tobol must win by a four-goal margin.
Recall that the winner of the Tobol-Partizan tie will face Spain's Getafe in the decisive stage of Conference League qualification on August 20 and 27.