Okzhetpes edged Ordabasy 2:1 in the Premier League regular season on Friday evening. The visitors had led through the opening half before the hosts turned things around after the break. It was a result that shifted attention from the top of the table, even if only temporarily.
B. Johnsen gave Ordabasy the advantage in the 14th minute, and by then the visitors looked comfortable with their 60 per cent possession. Okzhetpes kept their heads though, and when N. Buribaev won a penalty in the 49th minute, things came to a head. He converted it himself, and the match suddenly felt different.
Ordabasy had dominated the first hour with 100 attacks compared to their opponents' 59, but the pitch cut up badly as the game wore on. Leo Assunpcao scored the winner in the 82nd minute, and the hosts saw it out despite being pushed hard in the closing stages. The clean-sheet run came to an end for both sides, but the three points went to the home crowd.
Statistically, Ordabasy had more chances — nine shots on target against six — but shots accuracy tells a different story. Okzhetpes hit 43 per cent of their attempts on target, while Ordabasy managed 60 per cent. Many shots with one goal means chances went begging, and here's the thing: the match was decided in those three moments, not the 22 shots between them.
After the defeat, Ordabasy remain top of the table with 55 points from 24 games. Okzhetpes sit fourth with 42 points, but this result showed they can compete when it matters. The table goes out of the window in these games, and by then, everyone had watched enough to know the difference between possession and purpose.