FC Kairat fall narrowly to Arsenal in UEFA Champions League clash

Despite occupying opposite ends of the standings, with Arsenal leading the table and Kairat bottom, the encounter proved tense and competitive. The Almaty side put up a strong fight and came close to securing a draw against the English Premier League leaders.

Four goals were scored in the first half. Arsenal struck three times, while Kairat responded through Jorginho, who converted a penalty. In the second half, the Kazakh club delivered a disciplined performance, denying their star-studded opponents any goals. Arsenal did find the net once, but the effort was ruled out for offside. Late in the match, Ricardinho pulled one back for Kairat, though time ran out before they could press for an equalizer.

The match ended 3:2 in favor of Arsenal.

A notable aspect was Kairat head coach Rafael Urazbakhtin’s substitutions, which saw seven Kazakh players on the pitch simultaneously. Alongside starters Alexander Mrynskiy, Temirlan Anarbekov, Alexander Shirobokov and Adilet Sadybekov, Damir Kassabulat, Lev Kurgin and Ramazan Bagdat also featured.

The match took place at the Emirates Stadium and was officiated by Swiss referee Urs Schnyder. Kairat concluded the Champions League 2025/26 campaign with one point and will now focus on preparations for the new season starting in March.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that England’s Arsenal were set to host Kazakhstan’s Kairat in London in a Matchday 8 fixture of the UEFA Champions League on the night of January 28–29.