Inter concedes first goal in Champions League but edges Kairat
Kairat Almaty became the first club to score a goal against Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League 2025-26, but still lost 2-1 away at the San Siro Stadium.
Champions League 2025-26
Matchday 4, Nov. 5
Inter Milan vs. Kairat Almaty
Goals: Lautaro Martínez 45’ (1-0), Ofri Arad 55’ (1-1), Carlos Augusto 67’ (2-1)
Despite upsetting expectations amid the injury of Kairat’s defensive pillar Aleksandr Martynovich, the Almaty club did not look bad overall. The visitors’ defensive organization prevented the hosts from letting themselves go too much.
For 56 minutes straight, almost two-thirds of the match, the score was tied — 44 minutes before Lautaro Martínez’s goal and 12 minutes after Kairat’s Ofri Arad leveled the score. After conceding a goal from Carlos Augusto, the visitors failed to show creativity in attack and thus could not create another opportunity to equalize.
In defense, Martynovich was successfully replaced by Alexandr Shirobokov. Other than that, the starting line-up was predictable. Arad took the pitch wearing the captain’s armband and emerged as almost a protagonist for the Almaty club.
During the first half, the defender of the Israel national team nearly gave away two penalties. In the second instance, referee Luís Godinho went to review the video footage and canceled the initially awarded penalty kick. Five minutes earlier, the Portuguese referee had made a decision without VAR assistance, clearly indicating that there was no penalty.
The visitors played cautiously, preventing the hosts from developing their play inside the penalty area. And when the ball did get into the box, Temirlan Anarbekov performed well in goal.
However, even he was powerless when it seemed the teams would go into half-time with a goalless draw. Inter’s captain Martínez eventually pushed the ball into the net.
After doing the deed, the Argentine World Champion was substituted in the second half. Cristian Chivu perhaps regretted that decision when Arad leveled the score in the 55th minute.
Dastan Satpayev took a corner from the left wing. Jorginho struck the corner kick, and the ball ricocheted off a defender high into the air while the hosts’ defense looked on as Arad rose and sent the ball in with a header. The Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer didn’t move: 1-1.
However, Anarbekov — who had been making save after save — was physically unable to stop the shot by Augusto from outside the box. The Brazilian player, making the most of loose cover, had tried several long-range efforts, and it finally paid off in the 67th minute: 2-1.
The team coached by Rafael Urazbakhtin had plenty of time to find a second goal. Too bad, despite all their intentions, nothing worked out for Kairat.
