Almaty's Kairat failed to avenge a 0:1 defeat in Sofia a week ago in the Champions League 2026/27 qualifiers. The Kazakhstan champion lost by the same score to Bulgaria's Levski in Turkistan and dropped into the Europa League qualifying round. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
Starting lineups
Kairat's starting lineup for the return leg of the third qualifying round differed from the Sofia match in only two positions. Instead of injured captain Alexander Martynovich and Edmilson, Alexander Shirobokov and Damir Kasabulat started. Levski's coaching staff, led by Julio Velázquez, decided not to change a winning team and fielded the same players.
Match summary
The absurd goal conceded in the Bulgarian capital beyond regular time left Rafael Urazbakhtin's men no option but to win the return leg.
Third qualifying round. Return leg. August 11
⚽ KAIRAT (Almaty, Kazakhstan) – LEVSKI (Sofia, Bulgaria) 0:1 (0:1). First leg 0:1. Goal: Reinaldo 13
The stuffy evening that descended on Turkistan Arena (the match started at +37°C) did not contribute to a high tempo. True, in Almaty, where the game was moved from due to a concert by a foreign rap star, it was not much cooler that evening. Moreover, Kairat's most devoted fans arrived in Turkistan on buses provided by the club.
Already on the 13th minute, the 0:1 aggregate score became 0:2. Temirlan Anarbekov failed to handle a shot from outside the box by Brazilian-Bulgarian Reinaldo.
Kairat responded with several half-chances, where the desire to score quickly prevailed over execution. As a result, a clear shot on goal came only on the 37th minute. Svetoslav Vutsov, unlike Anarbekov, saved Shirobokov's long-range effort.
The visitors could have increased their lead three times in sharp counterattacks, but goal scorer Reinaldo and his compatriot Everton Bala missed from good positions.
Second half
After the break, the pattern of the game did not change. The hosts attacked more, the visitors were sharper. On the 51st minute, the tireless Reinaldo hit the crossbar with a powerful shot, and on the 67th minute, Serginho hit the post.
A real chance to equalize on the 76th minute was missed by Lucas Africo. After a corner taken by Jaakko Oksanen, the Brazilian jumped highest and headed powerfully. Unfortunately, straight at Vutsov. Substitute Edmilson shot dangerously a couple of times.
Kairat's final assault came to nothing. The score remained 0:1 until the end.
Next stage
To qualify again for the Champions League group stage, Kairat, as in the 2025/26 season, needed to pass four qualifying rounds. The third barrier proved insurmountable.
Having lost to the Bulgarians, the Almaty side will try to reach the Europa League group stage. On August 20 at home and August 27 away, Kairat will play either Greek club PAOK or Belgian Anderlecht. The Brussels side won the first game in Thessaloniki 1:0. In case of failure, the Kazakhstan champion will drop into the Conference League.
On Thursday, August 13, the European campaign for Kazakhstan Cup holder Tobol will continue with a home Conference League qualifier against Partizan. Last week in Belgrade, the Kostanay side lost heavily 0:3.