Almaty's Kairat club defeated Montenegro's Sutjeska 2-1 in the first match of the new Champions League season's qualifying round. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Sputnik Kazakhstan.
The first half saw no goals. In the second half, the pressure from the Almaty team paid off. In the 76th minute, Kairat's Brazilian defender Lucas Africo scored a goal. In the 90th minute, the Montenegrins equalized through striker Marko Mrvaljevic. In the 93rd minute, Spanish striker Marc Gual scored, giving Kairat a very important 2-1 victory.
Thus, the Kazakhstan champion gained a slight advantage ahead of the return leg. The winner over two matches advances to the second qualifying round of the Champions League. The return match between Sutjeska and Kairat will take place on July 16 in Montenegro.