Kyrgyzstan 5 - 0 Maldives: Atabaev leads first-half demolition in friendly rout
Kyrgyzstan did the job early and decisively. The friendly on 2026-09-28 ended Kyrgyzstan 5 - 0 Maldives, with M. Eshenov’s side scoring all five goals before half-time and turning the second half into a controlled exercise in minutes, rotation, and selection checks.
Erbol Atabaev was the player who changed the game. He scored in the 11th minute, then scored again in the 23rd minute, giving Kyrgyzstan the platform and then the comfort. Between those two goals, Sirozhiddin Astanakulov scored in the 20th minute. By the time Valeriy Murzakov added another in the 33rd minute and Joel Kojo scored in the 42nd minute, the contest had gone.
No drama was needed. No late push. No rescue act. Just a clean, fast first-half performance from Kyrgyzstan, who made the match a selection statement as much as a result.
How Kyrgyzstan won it
M. Eshenov set Kyrgyzstan up in a 4-2-3-1, with Erzhan Tokotaev in goal, Aleksandr Mishchenko, Eldiyar Zarypbekov, Valeriy Murzakov and Valeriy Kichin across the back line, Alimardon Shukurov and Odilzhon Abdurakhmanov in the double pivot, then Sirozhiddin Astanakulov, Erbol Atabaev and Kayrat Zhyrgalbek Uulu behind Joel Kojo.
That structure mattered. Kyrgyzstan’s front four all had direct weight in the scoreline: Atabaev scored in the 11th minute and the 23rd minute, Astanakulov scored in the 20th minute, and Kojo scored in the 42nd minute. Murzakov’s goal in the 33rd minute added a defender to the list, which told the wider story: Maldives could not stop Kyrgyzstan’s waves.
Ali Suzain’s Maldives had no formation listed in the official lineup feed. Their starting XI was Hussain Shareef, Ahmed Aiham, Ali Samooh, Amdhan Ali, Hassan Eenaaz, Thoif Gasim, Ahzam Rasheed, Nisham Mohamed Rasheed, Ibrahim Waheed Hassan, Haisham Hassan and Muzdhan Hassan.
The personnel looked defensive on paper, but the match moved too quickly for that to matter. Once Atabaev made it 1 - 0 in the 11th minute, Maldives were forced into a game they did not appear equipped to manage. Astanakulov’s goal in the 20th minute made it 2 - 0, Atabaev’s second in the 23rd minute made it 3 - 0, and from there the game became a test of damage limitation.
Goals
- 11th minute: Erbol Atabaev, Kyrgyzstan
- 20th minute: Sirozhiddin Astanakulov, Kyrgyzstan
- 23rd minute: Erbol Atabaev, Kyrgyzstan
- 33rd minute: Valeriy Murzakov, Kyrgyzstan
- 42nd minute: Joel Kojo, Kyrgyzstan
There were no assists listed in the official event data.
Second-half management
The second half was about control, not chase. The score was already 5 - 0, and both coaches moved quickly.
In the 46th minute, Kyrgyzstan sent on Arlen Beksulov for Valeriy Murzakov. Maldives made four changes at the same time: Hussain Sifaau replaced Ibrahim Waheed Hassan, Ahmed Maish replaced Thoif Gasim, Ali Fasir replaced Ahzam Rasheed, and Ibrahim Mahudhee Hussain replaced Muzdhan Hassan.
M. Eshenov then used the match as a wider squad check. In the 58th minute, Gulzhigit Alykulov replaced Odilzhon Abdurakhmanov, Nurdoolot Stalbekov replaced Sirozhiddin Astanakulov, Amir Zhaparov replaced Kayrat Zhyrgalbek Uulu, and Maksat Alygulov replaced Joel Kojo.
More changes followed in the 74th minute: Arslan Bekberdinov replaced Aleksandr Mishchenko, Aitenir Balbakov replaced Eldiyar Zarypbekov, and Said Datsiev replaced Valeriy Kichin. In the 83rd minute, Azim Azarov replaced Alimardon Shukurov, while Ermek Kenzhebaev came on for Atabaev.
Maldives made their final recorded change in the 90th minute, with Areen Abdulla Ibrahim replacing Nisham Mohamed Rasheed.
Starting XIs
Kyrgyzstan, 4-2-3-1, coach: M. Eshenov
Erzhan Tokotaev; Aleksandr Mishchenko, Eldiyar Zarypbekov, Valeriy Murzakov, Valeriy Kichin; Alimardon Shukurov, Odilzhon Abdurakhmanov; Sirozhiddin Astanakulov, Erbol Atabaev, Kayrat Zhyrgalbek Uulu; Joel Kojo.
Maldives, formation not listed in official feed, coach: Ali Suzain
Hussain Shareef; Ahmed Aiham, Ali Samooh, Amdhan Ali, Hassan Eenaaz, Thoif Gasim; Ahzam Rasheed, Nisham Mohamed Rasheed, Ibrahim Waheed Hassan, Haisham Hassan; Muzdhan Hassan.
Match facts
- Final score: Kyrgyzstan 5 - 0 Maldives
- Competition: Friendlies
- Round: Friendly International
- Match date: 2026-09-28
- Kyrgyzstan goals: Erbol Atabaev, Sirozhiddin Astanakulov, Erbol Atabaev, Valeriy Murzakov, Joel Kojo
- Maldives goals: none
- Cards: none recorded in the event data
What it means
For Kyrgyzstan, this was exactly what a friendly of this kind is supposed to deliver: a result, goals from key attacking names, minutes spread across the squad, and no recorded disciplinary damage. Atabaev strengthened his case most clearly. Two goals inside the first 23 minutes is the kind of audition that sticks in a coach’s mind.
For Maldives, the concern is not just the 5 - 0 scoreline, but the speed of the collapse. Four substitutions in the 46th minute said enough. Ali Suzain needed a reset immediately after the break, because the match had already been lost before half-time.
Kyrgyzstan move forward with selection momentum and a clear attacking reference point in Atabaev. Maldives leave with repair work to do before the next window.
