Aktobe achieves hat-trick

ALMATY - On Nov. 20 Aktobe beat Tobol of Kostanay in a penalty shoot-out to become the 2008 Kazakh football league champions, rounding off a hat-trick of trophy wins this season that also included the Cup of Kazakhstan and the Super Cup.
The “golden match” was the sixth time the two sides faced each other during the year, with two draws, two victories for Aktobe and one for Tobol. The end-of-season match was attended by 16,000 supporters at Almaty’s Central Stadium. A violent battle began as soon as the starting whistle blew, with eleven yellow cards and one red being handed out by the referee. It was Kostanay who looked more enterprising in attack, with Dmitry Ogai’s protégés causing some concern for the Aktobe defenders and goalkeeper, but on the whole there were few dangerous moments during the first 45 minutes. A long-range shot by Tobol captain Nurbol Jumaskaliyev was warded off by Aktobe goalie Andrei Sidelnikov before the teams left the field after a goalless first half.
Tobol once again surged forward in the second half, and in the 49th minute they profited from a corner when Moldovan forward Aleksandr Golban scored with a header. Aktobe then attempted to turn the tables on their opponents and power forward, but were held back in mid-field due to pressure from their opponents. Eventually an equaliser came when Marat Hairullin was brought down in the box in the 69th minute. The ensuing penalty shot was put into the back of the net by Aktobe captain Samat Smakov. Tobol then went harder on the offensive, but no further goals were scored. Both teams played very cautiously in extra time.
In the end Aktobe won the penalty shoot-out 4-2. Tobol’s manager did not attend the post-match press conference. Vladimir Mukhanov, the manager of Aktobe, stated: “Although people say that penalty shoot-outs are a lottery, I think we won fair and square. We’ve won all three trophies this season, the Cup of Kazakhstan, the Super Cup and now the League.”