Olympiacos edges Kairat in Champions League clash

Numerous saves by Temirlan Anarbekov didn’t help Kairat in a match against Olympiacos / Photo: Uefa.com

In the final match of the season at Astana Arena, Kairat Almaty struggled without Dastan Satpayev and narrowly lost to Greece’s Olympiacos in matchday six of the UEFA Champions League.

Kairat’s coaching staff changed the lineup from the FC Copenhagen match, which ended 2-3. Rafael Urazbakhtin assigned defender Aleksandr Mrynskiy to replace the suspended Dastan Satpayev. Portuguese player Luís Mata took over Mrynskiy’s usual full-back spot. Olzhas Baybek, who scored against Copenhagen, replaced Damir Kassabulat in defensive midfield and paired with Israeli midfielder Dan Glazer.

The lineup changes did not help Kairat. The team failed to register a shot on target before halftime. Olympiacos made no notable changes, with French defender Giulian Biancone replacing injured captain Panagiotis Retsos in central defense.

Olympiacos scored the match’s only goal and came close to a second, but Kairat’s goalkeeper and the post kept the score unchanged.

This game marks the Kazakhstani club’s fifth defeat in six league-phase matches, leaving it 35th — the second-lowest position — with one point.

This is Kairat’s first Champions League campaign. The team advanced through the playoff round in the qualifiers, facing Scottish side Celtic at Central Stadium in Almaty on Aug. 26, and progressed after a 0-0 aggregate draw, winning 3-2 on penalties.

Kairat’s Champions League debut faltered as the team lost 4-1 to Portugal’s Sporting.

The following match generated buzz in Almaty and on social media, as Real Madrid arrived in the city to face Kairat in the second round. The La Liga team drew enormous attention, defeating the hosts 5-0, with Mbappe scoring a hat trick on Sept. 30.

In matchday three, Kairat faced Cypriot side Pafos FC at Central Stadium in Almaty, with the game ending 0-0.

Round four took place at San Siro Stadium against Inter Milan, with the hosts conceding their first goal but ultimately losing 2-1 on Nov. 5.

On Nov. 26, matchday five saw Kairat face FC Copenhagen, in which the team attempted a comeback but arrived too late, finishing with a 3-2 defeat.

Two matches remain for Kairat: against Club Brugge at Astana Arena on Jan. 20 and Arsenal in London on Jan. 28.