KARAGANDA (Interstat) — On Thursday, Kairat Almaty II left Stadion Shakhter with a 3-2 victory over Shakhter Karagandy in a back-and-forth match that produced five goals and a decisive late finish. The visitors opened quickly, absorbed a response, regained the lead before halftime and then answered again after Shakhter Karagandy had pulled level in the second half. The result gave Kairat Almaty II a second win in the competition and kept its unbeaten start intact, while Shakhter Karagandy was left to measure a narrow home defeat at its own ground.

Abylai Zhilkaidar set the tone for Kairat Almaty II in the fourth minute, scoring the opening goal and later adding an assist. The early strike gave the visitors a lead they protected until the 37th minute, when Artem Litosh scored for Shakhter Karagandy to level the match. The home side’s response changed the mood around Stadion Shakhter, but Kairat Almaty II reclaimed the advantage just before the break when Abylay Toleukhan scored in the 45th minute.

The second half remained tight, with Shakhter Karagandy pushing for another equalizer. That push paid off in the 79th minute when Andrey Ulshin scored to make it 2-2 and set up a tense final stretch. Kairat Almaty II, however, found the winning moment in the 83rd minute through Mustafa Shen, whose goal restored the visitors’ lead and ultimately settled the match. The closing minutes left Shakhter Karagandy chasing the game again, but Kairat Almaty II held the advantage through the final whistle.

Kairat Almaty II’s lead at halftime came after a lively opening period. Zhilkaidar’s fourth-minute goal gave the visitors an early cushion, but Shakhter Karagandy responded through Litosh and went into the interval trailing by one after Toleukhan’s goal on the stroke of halftime. The pattern repeated after the break, with Shakhter Karagandy finding a response through Ulshin before Shen delivered the final blow for Kairat Almaty II.

Zhilkaidar was the top star for Kairat Almaty II, combining his goal with an assist in a performance that shaped the visitors’ attack. Toleukhan and Shen also scored for Kairat Almaty II, while Tore Ismagulov provided an assist. For Shakhter Karagandy, Litosh and Ulshin each scored, and Danila Vasilchenko recorded an assist. The home side generated enough chances to threaten a comeback, but Kairat Almaty II made the final attacking statement and protected the result after Shen’s breakthrough.

Kairat Almaty II’s season record in the competition is now two wins, no losses and one draw. Shakhter Karagandy’s season record in the competition is now one win and two losses. Kairat Almaty II’s season record across all competitions is also two wins, no losses and one draw, while Shakhter Karagandy’s season record across all competitions stands at one win and two losses. The win strengthened Kairat Almaty II’s position in the competition and handed Shakhter Karagandy another difficult result at home.

Kairat Almaty II entered the match after a win over FC Batyr and a draw at Taraz FK. Shakhter Karagandy had lost at Turan FK after a home win over Akademiya Ontustik. The visitors carried that form into the early stages and withstood the home side’s best spell after the interval. Shakhter Karagandy twice found equalizers, but Kairat Almaty II had the final answer through Shen’s late goal. The match remained open throughout, with both teams creating enough to keep the outcome uncertain until the closing minutes.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Kairat Almaty II 2, Shakhter Karagandy 0. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Shakhter Karagandy with a 74.5 percent probability to win. The total score of 5 went under the over/under line of 3.25.