ASTANA – With a strong-willed victory in Helsinki, Kazakhstan can punch its ticket to EURO 2024, UEFA announced, commenting on the team’s remarkable comeback yesterday.
Photo credit: kff.kz.
In the match, Finland’s team took an early lead and scored a goal in the 28th minute through a free-kick executed by Robert Taylor.
The game did not change much for about an hour, with Finland having opportunities to solidify their lead, including a one-on-one chance by Daniel Håkans.
After that, Kazakhstan’s Askhat Tagybergen hit the crossbar and turned the situation around.
In the 77th minute, Richard Jensen’s handball in Finland’s penalty area resulted in a clear penalty, which Bakhtiyar Zaynutdinov confidently converted.
In the final minutes, Zaynutdinov scored a thunderous header following a corner, securing the win and the most important three points.
With his double against Finland, Zaynutdinov became the top scorer in the history of the Kazakhstan national team with 14 goals.
Spain and Türkiye clinched EURO 2024 spots On Oct. 15, as did Scotland, which missed this matchday. On Monday they were joined by Austria, which gained three points in Azerbaijan. On the final matchday of the eighth round yesterday, England secured its spot as well.
