Lithuanian international defender Kipras Kažukolovas made his long-awaited return from an ACL injury on Friday, coming off the bench late in FC Astana’s comfortable 3-0 victory over Ulytau in the Kazakhstan Premier League.
The 25-year-old centre-back had been sidelined since suffering a cruciate ligament tear in August last year, an injury that kept him out of action for almost nine months. Kažukolovas, who has earned 17 caps for the Lithuanian national team, was included in Astana’s matchday squad for the first time since the injury.
Astana, despite an inconsistent start to the season which has already left them seven points behind league leaders Kairat Almaty after 11 matches, produced a confident performance to secure all three points. Kažukolovas, who has represented the Kazakh club since the beginning of 2024, entered the match in the closing stages with Astana already holding a comfortable 3-0 advantage.
After 11 rounds, Astana sit fourth in the Kazakhstan Premier League standings with 18 points.
