Moses makes Kaisar debut after Middle East ordeal News

Victor Moses finally made his Kazakhstan Premier League debut on Monday, coming off the bench as Kaisar Kyzylorda were held to a goalless draw by FC Astana, ending an anxious wait that saw the former Super Eagles winger stranded in Dubai for days due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, PUNCH Sport Extra reports.

The delay meant he missed Kaisar’s season opener against FK Zhenys on March 8, with head coach Andrey Ferapontov having publicly confirmed the club were waiting on him.

“Moses can’t fly out of Dubai due to the political situation. We’re waiting for him. When they rejoin, we’ll have a full squad,” Ferapontov had said.

Moses, 35, arrived in Kazakhstan last Friday after air travel across the region was severely disrupted following the outbreak of hostilities between Iran, the United States and Israel, which had forced the closure of airspace across several countries, including the UAE.

Wearing the number 11 shirt, Moses came off the bench in the 64th minute to replace Chilean midfielder Thomas Jones as Kaisar searched for a breakthrough against FC Astana, but the hosts could not find a winner against a side that arrived in Kyzylorda on the back of a 4-1 opening-day win over Zhetysu and are unbeaten in 10 consecutive matches.

Moses joined Kaisar on a free transfer during the January window following the expiration of his contract with Luton Town.

His arrival is among the most high-profile transfers in the history of Kazakh football, with the winger having previously represented Chelsea, Liverpool, Fenerbahce and Inter Milan during a career that also included 38 caps for Nigeria and a key role in the country’s 2013 AFCON triumph.

Fellow Nigerian forward Imoh Ezekiel, who was also stranded in the Middle East, was left out of the squad for the Astana clash and will have to wait for his own debut.