Kairat head coach Rafael Urazbakhtin commented on the 2-1 victory over Ordabasy in the 19th round of the Kazakhstan Premier League. He noted the strength of the opponent and admitted that the packed schedule affected the Almaty team's condition. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.

"It was a tough game for us, a strong opponent. We understood perfectly that it would not be easy. We set the guys up for victory. Many thanks to them. They did many of the things we talked about before the match. Yes, it was difficult – our schedule is very tight. In 14 days we played five matches, had flights, three away games. Of course, it was tough, and today it was noticeable. After scoring a goal, we played more by the score, trying to hold the advantage that suited us. Overall, we are very happy with the victory, the guys are great, and it is their merit," Urazbakhtin said after the game.

Urazbakhtin's team will play their next match on July 29 against Omonia in the second leg of the second qualifying round of the Champions League. The first game in Cyprus ended in a 0-1 defeat for Kairat.

"We now have two days to recover, then we will prepare for the return leg in the Champions League," the coach added.

Urazbakhtin also reacted to Jorginho's injury. The midfielder started the match but was substituted early.

"Regarding Jorginho, I think he has something serious. His knee was affected, so he needs an examination. We definitely won't see him in the upcoming matches," the specialist noted.

Separately, the head coach commented on holding the home match of the third qualifying round of European competitions in Turkistan. According to him, the club chose between Astana and Shymkent, but ultimately settled on the Turkistan Arena.

"We already played there at eight in the evening. Then we hit the peak – it was about 50 degrees. But by evening the conditions were more or less normal. We checked the weather forecast – there won't be such heat these days. If the match starts at eight, it's fine. As for the field, we were assured that it would be prepared and of good quality. It's clear that two teams play there. We had two options – Astana and Shymkent, but we chose Turkistan. We will play there. We don't have a choice. Probably, a concert here is more important than Kairat's game. Well, okay, then we'll play in Turkistan," Urazbakhtin concluded.

Recall that the score was opened by Mark Gual in the 14th minute. At the end of the match, Oiva Jukkola doubled Kairat's lead, and in stoppage time, Bjorn Johnsen pulled one back – 2-1. Thanks to this result, Kairat overtook the Shymkent club and rose to first place in the KPL standings. At the same time, Ordabasy has played one match less.