Match Report
9 points and 1 places separated them: Kazakhstan 4th with 18, Northern Ireland 5th with 9. Recent form told a different story for Northern Ireland: only 34th in the league over the last five rounds despite sitting 5th. Against a league average of 1.44 goals per team per game, Kazakhstan ran at 1.6 scored and 1.2 conceded, Northern Ireland at 0.9 and 1.3.
Northern Ireland arrived off four straight defeats. From the last five rounds, Kazakhstan held 9 points of 15 and Northern Ireland 3.
Astana Arena staged the fixture, a ground that holds 30,000. Kazakhstan led 1-0 at the break — the second half brought no more goals and it finished 1-0.
Goal scorers
Kazakhstan: Maksim Samorodov (27')
Key stats
Possession: Kazakhstan 45% · Northern Ireland 55% · Total shots: 8-17 · On target: 4-4 · Corners: 3-2