Kostanay's Tobol, the last Kazakh club to start its European campaign, drew 1-1 with Lithuania's Panevezys in the first leg of the UEFA Conference League second qualifying round. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
The match took place on July 23. Goals: Keita 45 (1-0), Cvanciger 84 (1-1). Missed penalty: Tagybergen (T, 60) saved by goalkeeper.
The 2025 Lithuanian and Kazakh Cup holders are having a mediocre season. Tobol sits ninth in the Kazakh league, while Panevezys is eighth, second from bottom. The match at Aukstaitija Stadium, which holds only 4,000 spectators, reflected their standings.
The uneventful match was heading to halftime when Tobol goalkeeper Sultan Busurmanov was injured in a collision with Ghanaian Kwadwo Asamoah. His replacement Danil Ustimenko immediately saved a dangerous shot from another Ghanaian, Isaac Asante, for a corner. The corner led to a goal: Senegalese Seidina Keita scored in the scramble – 1-0.
After the break, the game became more lively. In the 47th minute, Kazakh Nauryzbek Zhagorov, and in the 55th minute, Moroccan-Lithuanian Amin Talal missed excellent chances.
In the 58th minute, Asamoah, who had earlier forced Busurmanov off, tried to do the same to Islam Chesnokov. Norwegian referee Mohammad Aslam showed him a yellow card and awarded a penalty.
Unfortunately, Tobol captain Askhat Tagybergen failed to beat Panevezys captain Vytautas Cerniauskas from the spot. The home goalkeeper, gaining confidence, made several more saves, including from Tagybergen's free kick, Serbian Uros Milovanovic, and Chesnokov.
However, in the 84th minute, the Kazakhs equalized. Tagybergen's curling free kick was headed in by Montenegrin Kostanay player Nemanja Cvanciger – 1-1. Both teams could have scored a second goal, but the winner will be decided in the return leg in Kostanay on July 30.
To reach the Conference League group stage, Tobol must overcome three qualifying rounds.
The winner of the Kazakh-Lithuanian tie will face Serbian Partizan or Luxembourg's UNA in the third round.
The group stage matches of the third-tier European competition will be held from October 15 to December 17. The 2026/27 Conference League final will take place on June 2, 2027, at Besiktas Park in Istanbul.
The day before, Kairat suffered a defeat in the first leg of the Champions League second qualifying round. Playing with a man advantage for a third of the match, the Almaty team lost 0-1 to Cyprus's Omonia in Nicosia.