A Flurry of Goals and the First Draw: A Recap of Matchday V in the Freedom QJ League W

Cinderella’s Collapse in Almaty

Kairat left Shakhtyor with no chance – the match at the Timur Segizbayev Stadium ended in a crushing 7-0 win for the Yellow-and-Blacks. For the first time this season, the usually dangerous duo of Saida Dyusembayeva and Damira Maksat failed to score, while Zhaniya Makhash and Angelina Klenova shined instead – each was involved in five goal contributions.

Interestingly, Kairat’s entire starting lineup played the full 90 minutes, while Sergey Polenov made seven substitutions during the game – none of which managed to change the course of the match.

Despite sitting third in the standings, Shakhtyor now has a negative goal difference. Still, this hasn’t shaken their place in the race for the medals – Tobol and Irtysh are just two points behind the Karaganda side.

It’s worth noting that this was Shakhtyor's first match without their “jokers” – the girls born in 2008 have joined the senior team.

Astana Returns to Winning Ways

The capital side took full advantage of their opportunity and firmly established themselves as Kairat’s main challenger. This came after a confident win over Ordabasy, with the outcome decided by goals from Zarema Maksot, Sofya Rybak, and Zhibek Marat. The Shymkent team’s only response came from Adina Shurenova, who converted a penalty.

This marks Ordabasy’s third consecutive defeat – all of which have come against teams currently sitting in the top three.

The First Draw in the Women’s Tournament!

After five matchweeks in the debut season of the Freedom QJ League W, 20 games have been played – and only one has ended in a draw. It happened in Kostanay in the clash between mid-table neighbors Tobol and Irtysh.

In the 56th minute, Diana Nurkabayeva chipped the goalkeeper with a long-range strike to give the home side the lead. It seemed like that would be enough, but in the 85th minute, Elizaveta Medvedeva salvaged a point for Irtysh with a late equalizer. Both teams remain positioned firmly in the middle of the standings.

It’s worth noting that this was only Nurkabayeva’s second appearance in the Freedom QJ League – the Tobol “joker” is also active in the senior squad. Her league stats after the Irtysh match: two goals in 136 minutes of play.

One of Tobol’s key players, Amura Karabayeva, missed the match due to a red card received during an altercation with Aktobe players.

Thriller in Taldykorgan

Matchweek V brought together two teams still searching for their first points – Zhetisu and Aktobe – and their clash turned into an emotional rollercoaster for fans of both sides, packed with action and goals.

Early on, it looked like Aktobe would cruise to an easy win in Taldykorgan – by the 9th minute, they were already up 2:0 thanks to goals from Dayana Tulebayeva and Aziza Talap.

But then Nuray Bolatova stepped into the spotlight. The Zhetisu midfielder scored once and assisted Ainur Anuarbek before halftime. She continued her impressive performance in the second half, putting the home side ahead 3:2 with a goal in the 50th minute.

However, the joy didn’t last long. Aziza Talap scored two more goals to complete a hat-trick, and further strikes from Gulden Sakirova and Aruzhan Bizhanova put the game beyond Zhetisu’s reach. Bolatova did manage to complete her own hat-trick, but the final score read 6:4 in favor of the Red-and-Whites.

Zhetisu now has seven goals in total this season – with Nuray Bolatova scoring four and assisting one.