In the first match of the third qualifying round of the 2026/27 Champions League, Kairat lost minimally to Levski. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
The match in the Bulgarian capital ended with a score of 0:1. The only goal was scored by Serginho in stoppage time.
Match Overview
Third qualifying round. First leg. August 4
⚽ LEVSKI (Sofia, Bulgaria) – KAIRAT (Almaty, Kazakhstan) 1:0 (0:0). Goal: Serginho 90+2
Compared to the return match against Omonia, Rafael Urazbakhtin made two changes to the team's starting lineup. Edmilson and Olzhas Baibek started from the first minutes instead of Damir Kasabulat and Lev Kurgin.
Throughout the game, the advantage was on the side of the home team. Kairat did not make a single shot on goal, while Levski made 13 attempts. Several times Temirlan Anarbekov saved the Almaty team, and in some moments Julio Velázquez's charges lacked precision.
Kairat played second and looked for chances in counterattacks. However, they failed to create truly dangerous moments at Levski's goal. At the end of the first half, Oiva Jukkola fell in the opponent's penalty area, and the VAR team checked the episode for a possible penalty. But there were not enough grounds to award a spot kick.
Everything was heading for a goalless draw, but in stoppage time Levski still scored. After Serginho's shot from outside the penalty area, the ball ricocheted off the leg of Kairat captain Aleksandr Martynovich and flew into the net – 1:0.
Return Leg
The fate of the tie will be decided on August 11. The return match was moved to Turkistan due to a Kanye West concert at the Central Stadium in Almaty, scheduled for August 14.
Recall that the winner of the Levski – Kairat pair will compete for a place in the Champions League group stage against Greek club AEK. The loser will drop into the Europa League qualifying and will play either against another Greek club PAOK or Belgian Anderlecht.