Baltiev stars in Tobol cup triumph

FC Tobol Kostanay have claimed their first Kazakhstan Cup after beating FC Ordabasy Shymkent 3-0 in the final in Taraz on Thursday.

Baltiev double
Kazakhstan midfielder Ruslan Baltiev took centre stage, opening the scoring with a curling free-kick in the first half, and doubling Tobol's advantage from the penalty spot after the interval following a foul on Daniyar Mukanov. Midfielder Igor Yurin connected with a cross from the left to make it 3-0, while Ordbasy substitute Andriy Nesteruk came closest to making a game of it after hitting the bar following a corner.

Shakhtyor joy
Tobol's success is good news for FC Shakhtyor Karagandy. With Tobol now qualifying for the 2008/09 UEFA Cup as cup winners, third-placed Shakhtyor will now inherit their slot in the competition as league runners-up. Fourth-placed FC Irtysh Pavlodar will now be put forward for a place in the 2008 UEFA Intertoto Cup. A minute's silence preceded the cup final to honour FC Taraz striker Oleg Litvinenko, who holds the record for the most goals scored in the Kazakh league and cup, and former FC Kairat Almaty player Viktor Shvedkov.