Kairat head coach Rafael Urazbakhtin commented on the victory over Montenegro's Sutjeska in the first match of the Champions League qualifiers. The Almaty club won 2-1, scoring the decisive goal in stoppage time. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
According to Urazbakhtin, the main outcome for the team was the result, although the game did not go as the coaching staff had planned.
"At this stage, the main thing is that we won. Of course, we planned the game to unfold differently. We didn't play the first half the way we wanted. We will figure out why. We were a bit tense, as if the weight of responsibility was pressing – the first match, especially at home. I think it's more of a psychological moment than a physical one. We had enough time to recover and work before this match," Urazbakhtin said.
The coach noted that this season opponents already treat Kairat differently. According to him, last year's European experience changed the team's status, making it harder to play.
"Last year we were unknown, no one knew us, no one prepared specifically for us. Now we are in a slightly different status. Many know that we were in the Champions League. Accordingly, the attitude is completely different. Honestly, I expected us to play this match more confidently," Urazbakhtin said.
At the same time, the specialist emphasized that the tie is not yet decided. The return match will take place on July 15 in Montenegro, and Kairat will need to prepare for a different game scenario.
"In any case, everything will be decided in the second leg. We need to think through the game plan – it will be a bit different there. The opponent will need to attack, so the game pattern will be different. We need to carefully consider the lineup, look at the players' condition. It's important to recover and prepare," the head coach noted.
Urazbakhtin separately spoke about Ismail Bekbolat, who came on as a substitute in the second half and became one of the key players in the closing stages. It was after his pass that Lucas Afriko opened the scoring, and in added time, Bekbolat assisted Mark Gual in the winning goal episode.
"Isma looks good now. We talked to him, aimed him not to stop under any circumstances. He's a good guy, draws the right conclusions, trains and works, brings benefit to the team," Urazbakhtin said.
The coach also commented on the departure of Israeli midfielder Dan Glazer. Kairat announced his transfer to Maccabi Tel Aviv. Glazer played for the Almaty club since the beginning of 2025, becoming champion of Kazakhstan and winner of the country's Super Cup. Urazbakhtin indicated that the club is already working on strengthening this position.
"We will fill this position with someone anyway. We will try to do everything in the shortest possible time to get a newcomer. We already have players in mind," the coach stated.
Recall that the winner of the Kairat – Sutjeska pair will face Cyprus's Omonia in the second qualifying round of the Champions League.