Kairat coach comments on red card in Champions League match

Tengrinews.kz — Kairat head coach Rafael Urazbakhtin said his team still has a chance to reach the third qualifying round of the Champions League despite losing the first away match to Cyprus’ Omonia, citing the Almaty club’s press service.
The Omonia vs Kairat match ended 1:0 in favor of the home side. However, according to the Almaty team’s coach, the opponent was unable to show its best qualities because of the sending-off in the first half.

“I said from the start that this is a good, high-quality team, with very qualified players and a coach. So we had no doubts about their level. Yes, the match didn’t quite go according to their plan. They couldn’t show their best qualities because after the sending-off they played according to the scoreline,” he said at a press conference.

According to Urazbakhtin, although the Almaty side failed to score in the first meeting, they still have fairly good chances of overall success.

“Last year, we lost 2:0 away to KuPS, and a week later won 3:0 at home. There are always chances. Everything will depend on us,” the coach noted.

Last season, Kairat went through all four qualifying rounds of the Champions League, with an impressive comeback in the second round. After losing 0:2 to Finland’s KuPS away, the team scored three unanswered goals at home and advanced to the next round.
As for the match against Omonia, after the opponents were reduced to ten men in the 34th minute, the Almaty side seized the initiative and made a total of 14 attempts toward the opponent’s goal.