Defender Sergey Maly has set a record for the Kazakhstan national team in the number of matches played. The Nations League meeting with the Faroe Islands was his 77th for the national team. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
Previously, first place belonged to Samat Smakov, who played 76 matches for Kazakhstan. Maly equaled his result in the match against Moldova, and taking the field against the Faroe Islands allowed the 36-year-old defender to single-handedly top the list of record holders.
Maly made his debut for the national team on March 5, 2014, in a friendly match against Lithuania that ended 1:1. Thus, the defender has been playing for the national team for more than 12 years.
Another historical milestone was reached by Islambek Kuat. The match against the Faroe Islands was the midfielder's 76th for the Kazakhstan national team. With this indicator, he equaled Smakov and now shares second place with him.
Earlier, before the game, the head coach of the Kazakhstan national team, John van 't Schip, stated that the team must rehabilitate after a home defeat to Moldova. After three rounds of the Nations League, Kazakhstan had one point and occupied last place in Group C3.
It is worth noting that Sergey Maly's record is based on data reported by the press service of the Kazakhstan Football Federation. For the national team, this match was one of the important ones within the Nations League, and the achievements of Maly and Kuat updated individual statistical indicators in the team's history.
Samat Smakov had long been considered the player with the most matches for the Kazakhstan national team. His indicator of 76 matches has now been updated by Maly's 77 games, and Kuat also reached this milestone and equaled Smakov.
Thus, new record indicators have been recorded in the history of Kazakh football, and the names of Maly and Kuat have remained in history as a vivid example of competition and stability among national team players.