In the second match of the 16th round of the 2026 Kazakhstan Premier League, vice-champion Astana secured a 1-0 victory over Zhenis at home. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
The only goal of the match came in the 40th minute. Young talent Maksat Abrayev, aged 18, found the bottom corner of Belarusian goalkeeper Maksim Plotnikov's net. The first half ended with this score.
Statistics showed Astana's dominance in ball possession (58:42) and shots on target (6:3). As a result, the team earned a deserved victory and climbed to 4th place in the standings, closing the gap with third-placed Okzhetpes.
It is worth noting that these teams had recently met on June 28, when the capital derby ended in a 2-2 draw. The second round began with Astana's win at Astana Arena under coach Grigoriy Babayan.
On the same day, Kairat (Almaty) thrashed Okzhetpes (Kokshetau) 5-0. Goals were scored by Gual (30', 36'), Jorginho (42'), Edmilson (79'), and Tuyakbayev (90'). Thus, Okzhetpes suffered a heavy defeat in Almaty.
The 16th round will continue tomorrow with matches Altai vs Tobol and Kyzylzhar vs Yelimay. It will conclude on Sunday, July 5, with games Atyrau vs Kaspy, Aktobe vs Zhetysu, Kaisar vs Irtysh, and Ordabasy vs Ulytau.