Kazakhstan came from two goals down to draw 2-2 with the Faroe Islands in Astana on Tuesday, in a UEFA Nations League League C Group 3 game that ended with a red card for each side and Kazakhstan firing in late attempts at a winner that never arrived.
Faroe Islands strike twice on limited possession
The visitors were happy to sit back and wait, and the numbers show how lopsided the match was in terms of the ball: Kazakhstan had 67.3 per cent of possession, 24 shots to 15 and won 27 aerial duels to 14. Even so, it was the Faroes who were ahead at the interval. P. Knudsen scored in the 22nd minute from a chance created by J. Bjartalid, and Kazakhstan went in at half-time 1-0 down with a lot of territory and very little to show for it.
The lead doubled after the break. G. Turi made it 2-0 in the 63rd minute, and it looked as though the Faroe Islands would take all three points from a game they had barely controlled.
Agnarsson sent off, Maliy and Alip pull it back
Two minutes later the game changed. Faroe Islands player M. Agnarsson picked up a second yellow card in the 65th minute and left his team with ten men. Kazakhstan pushed their numbers forward and found a way through in the 68th minute through S. Maliy, who pulled one back. N. Alip equalised in the 76th minute, finishing a move that Maksim Samorodov set up.
The home side then pressed hard for a third. Artur Shushenachev headed a Samorodov cross from the centre of the box in the 88th minute, but Mattias Lamhauge saved in the bottom corner. Maliy, who had scored the first goal of the comeback, was shown a red card in the 85th minute, so both teams finished with ten men.
A point that suits the visitors more
The statistics point to an equaliser that Kazakhstan largely earned: they had 13 attempts from outside the box and put the ball against the woodwork once, while the Faroe Islands hit the frame twice and earned more corners, eight to five. Both teams put four shots on target and both goalkeepers made two saves. For a side so heavily outplayed on possession, a draw on the road in front of 10,315 supporters is a respectable result for the Faroe Islands. For Kazakhstan, it is a home point that felt like two dropped after they had hauled themselves level.
Match facts: Kazakhstan 2-2 Faroe Islands, UEFA Nations League, League C, Group 3, Astana Arena, Tuesday 6 October 2026. Half-time: Kazakhstan 0-1 Faroe Islands. Goals per BBC Sport: P. Knudsen 22' (assist J. Bjartalid), G. Turi 63' (Faroe Islands); S. Maliy 68', N. Alip 76' (assist Samorodov) (Kazakhstan). Cards: M. Agnarsson sent off after two yellows 65' (Faroe Islands); S. Maliy red card 85' (Kazakhstan). Attendance 10,315. Possession 67.3%-32.7%; shots 24-15; on target 4-4.
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