Kairat's head coach Rafael Urazbakhtin commented on the minimal defeat to Levski in the first match of the third qualifying round of the Champions League. The specialist stated that the Almaty team's tactical plan worked, but in the second half the team was tired due to the large volume of defensive work. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.

"It's a shame to concede a goal in the last minutes, and there was also a ricochet. What can you do? There is still a return match. We will try to play better at home. We will fight for a positive result," Urazbakhtin said after the game.

Plan for the first half

According to Urazbakhtin, Kairat was initially ready to give the initiative to the opponent and bet on a tight game without the ball. In the first half, this plan made it possible to practically deprive Levski of free space in attack.

"In general, if we talk about the game, even in the first half, everything we planned worked. The opponent held the ball, but they could not find a loophole, we deprived their fast attackers of space. In the second half, our players got tired, because defending the whole match is exhausting. Maybe that's why we didn't hold this score.

We planned it that way, we didn't want to run headlong. We perfectly understood that the opponent would dominate and control the match with their fans, on their field," the specialist said.

Problems with ball possession

At the same time, the head coach was dissatisfied with the team's actions after winning the ball. In his opinion, Kairat lacked long-term control and bolder play ahead.

"We needed to be bolder on the ball. We rebuilt well, but quickly lost the ball. We needed to control it for at least some extended time so that there would be arrhythmia in the game," Urazbakhtin noted.

Gustavo substitution

The coach also explained the substitution of Gustavo, who recently joined the team and has not yet reached optimal physical condition.

"As for the substitution of Gustavo, the player arrived, played twice for ten minutes, and then came out in the starting lineup. Physically, he is not fully ready yet. The exit of Alexander Shirobokov was suggested: we moved Damir Kasabulat forward, and Shirobokov went to the position of central defender. We sat in defense the whole game, and with this substitution we simply tried to strengthen positions to keep the score that suited us," the specialist explained.

Lack of Jorginho

Urazbakhtin admitted that the team lacked Jorginho, but stressed that in the return match Kairat first of all needs to improve in possession.

"Jorginho? His work rate helped us, of course. He was missed, but what can we do? We will play with those we have.

I can't say anything about the second game, because we need to get home now, digest, analyze today's game. We need to be more aggressive in attack. Will the opponent play the same? Let them play, we need to manage the ball better. There were moments from which we could squeeze something, but unfortunately we lost the ball," the coach said.

Belief in advancing

Urazbakhtin also stated that the team remains confident in the possibility of getting past Levski. At the same time, he refused to draw direct parallels with the previous round against Omonia, where the opponent's red cards significantly influenced the course of the confrontation.

"The match with Omonia is a different situation, there was a red card that was in our favor. Yes, in the minority we could not realize our chances in regular time. Here it is hard to imagine what the situation will be in Turkestan.

We are set for victory, for the result that would allow us to advance to the next round. We must go home and not believe, right? Of course, that's wrong. Naturally, we believe and will make every effort to advance to the next round," Urazbakhtin concluded.

Atmosphere in Sofia

Separately, the specialist praised the atmosphere at the stadium in Sofia and noted that the pressure of the fans was not a problem for his team.

"I don't think the pressure at the stadium affected us. I would like to note this wonderful atmosphere, the fans - they support very impressively, fiercely. For us, this is, on the contrary, motivation - to play in such an atmosphere. We hope that in Almaty... oh, in Turkestan, fans will come to support us."

Recall that the meeting in Sofia ended with a score of 1:0 in favor of the hosts. Levski had the advantage for most of the match and made 13 shots, while Kairat did not have a single attempt. The only goal was scored in the 90+2nd minute: after Serginho's shot from outside the penalty area, the ball ricocheted off Alexander Martynovich into the goal of Temirlan Anarbekov.

The return match between Kairat and Levski will take place on August 11 in Turkestan. The winner of the confrontation will compete for a ticket to the main Champions League tournament with the Greek club AEK. The loser will drop into the Europa League qualifying and will play either with another Greek club PAOK or with Belgian Anderlecht.