Neftchi beat Abdysh-Ata 4:1 in the Premier League's Regular Season round nineteen on Thursday. The home side took all three points at their own ground, where the match finished with a comfortable margin for the hosts.
And here's the thing about this game — it turned after the break. Beglarkhonov struck twice in quick succession, first in the fifty-seventh minute and then again two minutes later. By then the momentum had shifted entirely in Neftchi's direction.
Cobet added a third in the sixty-fifth, and Yusupov made it four in the eighty-second. Sakala managed to grab one back for Abdysh-Ata in stoppage time, but the damage was done. The visitors had opened talks with hope too late.
Neftchi sit eleventh in the table with twenty-six points from twenty-two games. That record includes eight wins, two draws and twelve losses. They are eight points ahead of Abdysh-Ata, who occupy fifteenth place with fourteen points from twenty-three matches.
The hosts come off a mixed run recently. They lost 1:5 to Dorday Bishkek on the seventh, but bounced back with a 2:0 win over Tалант and a 3:1 victory against OshMU Al'diyer. The draw brought them together early in the season, but results have been uneven since.
Abdysh-Ata have struggled more consistently. Their last five matches show three defeats and two draws, including a heavy 0:4 loss to Asia Talas. The result leaves them further from safety and raises questions about what changes need to be made.