Kyzyl-Zhar took Aktobe to task in the Premier League regular season, winning 3-1 on Friday. The hosts opened the scoring inside the opening minutes and held firm despite Aktobe's superior possession and attacking numbers. By then, the visitors had already seen their captain sent off after a late double booking.
E. Makarenko gave Kyzyl-Zhar the lead in the second minute, before J. Atanasov equalised for Aktobe just before the hour mark. Things changed sharply after the break when T. Erlanov collected two yellows and a red in quick succession. E. Beugre stepped up to convert a penalty for the hosts, then L. Latifi added a fourth goal late on to settle any remaining nerves.
And here's the thing about the statistics. Aktobe enjoyed 59 percent possession and registered 109 attacks compared to Kyzyl-Zhar's 80, yet their shots on target numbered just six against twelve from the hosts. Three of Aktobe's attempts were blocked while two shots from Kyzyl-Zhar found the woodwork. The visitors also took eight corners to four, but the extra territory meant little when Erlanov and S. Miangue were sent off in the same half.
Kyzyl-Zhar moved closer to safety with this result, remaining in 11th place on 24 points from 24 games. Aktobe stayed fifth with 38 points, though they dropped ground on the leaders. The hosts had already shown resilience in recent fixtures, beating Жетысу and drawing with Тобол before this victory. Aktobe's run of three wins in four games now comes to an end.