Kairat Earn Their First Champions League Point: How the Almaty Club Held Off Pafos

On October 21, Almaty’s Kairat played their latest Champions League match, hosting Cyprus’s Pafos FC at home. Orda.kz reports how the match unfolded.

Pafos, from the Cypriot city of the same name, arrived in Almaty the day before the match with a roster that included several well-known players. Among them was defender David Luiz, who has played for Benfica, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, and Arsenal.

The 38-year-old Brazilian was once one of Europe’s most expensive defenders. Another star on the field was Croatian forward Mislav Oršić, a participant in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

For Kairat, perhaps the most notable lineup change was in goal: instead of the young Sherkhan Kalmurza, who played against Sporting CP and Real Madrid, the more experienced Temirlan Anarbekov returned after nearly a month out with injury.

Despite concerns that Almaty Central Stadium might be half-empty, most of the stands were filled.

The match began dramatically — just four minutes in, João Correia of Pafos was shown a red card, leaving the visitors with ten men.

 In the 20th minute, Dastan Satpayev received a yellow card for a rough challenge on Pafos goalkeeper Michail Neofytos.

One of the first half’s key moments came in the 33rd minute, when Anarbekov made a crucial save after a dangerous attack by Pafos.

The ball struck him in the face, and he stayed down briefly, raising fears he had re-injured his jaw — the same one he had only recently recovered from. Fortunately, after medical assistance, he continued the game.

The tensest moment of the match came in the 72nd minute, when a Pafos player struck the post and the ball rebounded off Anarbekov’s back into the net. However, VAR intervened, and the referee disallowed the goal for offside.

 The match ended 0–0, giving both teams a point — Kairat’s first-ever point in the Champions League.

Post-Match Reactions

Pafos FC head coach Juan Carlos Casado said that the red card at the start of the match had changed everything. He noted that he would have preferred to play eleven against eleven, but added that his team hadn’t given up — they still had chances and could have scored. Casado emphasized that both goalkeepers were outstanding, especially Kairat’s, who made three or four incredible saves, and concluded that his players had shown quality and character.

Kairat’s next match will take place on October 26 against FC Astana — a game that is expected to decide who will be crowned Kazakhstan’s 2025 champion. In the Champions League, the Almaty side will play away in Milan against Inter Milan on November 6.

Kairat’s next Champions League home match is scheduled for December 9, when they will face Greece’s Olympiacos FC, who lost 6–1 to FC Barcelona yesterday.

Original Author: Islam Aden