Almaty kept Karaganda at bay with a 6:3 win in the Championship on Wednesday. The hosts had lost five of their eight games before this one, while Karaganda sat third with six victories.
And here's the thing — Almaty came into the fixture with two heavy defeats against Nomad Astana sitting behind them. They had bounced back with wins over Pavlodar, but nobody expected them to trouble Karaganda's defence.
Karaganda had been scoring freely all season. They had put nine past Aktobe and eight in another match. Their recent form showed consistency, even if they dropped points against Torpedo.
By then Almaty were playing with something to prove. Three wins in eight games meant they were already in danger, and a result like this against a top-three side would have lifted spirits in the dressing room.
The final score tells you Almaty took their chances. Six goals is a lot against any side, and Karaganda's three goals showed they still had teeth even in defeat.
After this match Almaty moved off zero points with three from the win. Karaganda stayed on zero as well — the table was still taking shape, but this result showed where the balance might lie.