The opening round of Freedom QJ League is over. Here are the main storylines from the matches in the younger age categories of League A.
An uneven start for the Atlético academy
The newcomers to Freedom QJ League — players from Atlético Madrid’s academy in Kazakhstan — began their campaign with matches against Zhas Kyran in Almaty.
As a reminder, the Kazakh academy of the Madrid club is represented in League A this season only in the U-15 and U-16 tournaments. In the other two categories, its place is taken by the KFF Academy.
While Atlético’s older side managed to edge the hosts 3–2, the U-15 contest turned into a rout, with Zhas Kyran scoring five unanswered goals.
Tobyl made up for the defeats in Kyzylorda
Kaisar managed to beat the visitors from Kostanay twice — first in the U-17 tournament and then in the flagship competition. However, the younger teams met at Tobyl Arena, where the hosts made full use of their advantage.
Tobyl’s 2012-born side thrashed their peers from Kyzylorda 7–0, while the U-16 team scored five unanswered goals against their opponents. In the latter match, young forward Balakhmet Adilbek recorded a four-goal haul.
A dazzling performance from Sarsymbayev
Adilbek was not the only player to score four goals in the very first round. Tamerlan Sarsymbayev helped Kairat crush Irtysh in the U-17 tournament, scoring three goals from open play and one from the penalty spot. He also provided an assist for Ramazan Serikkul.
It is worth noting that last season Tamerlan, who will turn 16 in less than a week, played for two Kairat teams at once — U-16 and U-17. As a result, he became champion of both tournaments.
A football family tree
Two young players whose relatives are already well known to Kazakh football fans made their League debuts. They are 13-year-old Aktobe U-15 midfielder Sanzhar Baidauletov and 14-year-old Astana U-16 forward Daniel Tleshev.
The former is the younger brother of Ayan Baidauletov, who played in the first QJ League season and has since gone on to make numerous appearances for Aktobe’s senior team.
Daniel, meanwhile, is the son of Kazakh football legend Murat Tleshev, who scored 149 goals in his professional career.
