Almaty’s Kairat faced Real Madrid in Champions’ League group stage match
Almaty’s Kairat played against Spanish giants Real Madrid in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League, reports a Kazinform News Agency correspondent.
The match took place at the Central Stadium in Almaty, officiated by a refereeing team led by Italian Marco Guida.
The starting lineups were as follows:
Kairat: Kalmurza, Tapalov, Martynovich, Sorokin, Luis Mata, Mrynsky, Kasabulat, Arad, Gromyko, Jorginho, Satpayev.
Real Madrid: Courtois, Asensio, Heuysen, Alaba, Garcia, Tchouameni, Ceballos, Güler, Mastantuono, Vinicius, Mbappé.
From the opening minutes, the Almaty side pressed the favorite and created several chances, but their shots missed the target. Later, goalkeeper Sherkhan Kalmurza saved several attempts from Real’s forwards. In the 25th minute, the young Kazakh goalkeeper fouled Franco Mastantuono inside the penalty area, and Kylian Mbappé confidently converted the penalty. Before halftime, the French striker had several more opportunities, but the score remained unchanged.
In the second half, Kairat pushed forward more aggressively, leaving gaps at the back. Real Madrid capitalized, as Mbappé completed a brace and later a hat-trick. Eduardo Camavinga and Brahim Díaz added their names to the scoresheet, sealing a 5:0 victory for the Spanish side.
On October 21, Kairat will host Cyprus’ Pafos in their next Champions League fixture.
Earlier it was reported that more than 5,000 foreign guests arrived in Almaty between September 26 and 29 for the Kairat vs. Real Madrid match.
