In July, few believed in Kairat: starting from the very first qualifying round, with unseeded status and a draw that doesn’t forgive mistakes. Yet the champions of Kazakhstan went from the “San Marino–level” opening rung of qualifying to the main stage of the UEFA Champions League, overturning odds and tournament-bracket scripts. This is a story of discipline, character, and cool heads in penalty shootouts — and of how a team written off in mid-summer unexpectedly settled into the autumn nights of the UCL.
Starting from the Bottom of Qualifying
Kairat entered the campaign from the unseeded pot — shoulder to shoulder with clubs from Andorra, San Marino, and Malta. Right away came a tough draw: Olimpija Ljubljana, one of the worst possible options. The draw in Slovenia only slightly leveled the balance, and Almaty’s side still weren’t favorites before the return leg. That made the progression even more valuable: the first step was taken, but higher-status opponents and a longer road lay ahead.
A Finnish Cold Bath and a Rapid Comeback
In the second round, alarmist headlines followed a defeat in Finland: the odds drifted, belief did not. The reply was razor-sharp — three goals before half-time and the job essentially done by the 45th minute. Seventeen-year-old Dastan Satpayev — a talent already linked with Chelsea — opened the scoring and then provided the assist for the decisive third. A comeback that reshaped the bookmakers’ lines.
A Slovak Stress Test
Against Slovan, Kairat remained underdogs right up to the game in Kazakhstan. A home win swung the tie to 50/50 before the trip to Bratislava, where an early strike from Robert Mak landed a sting. The outcome was parity on aggregate and a nerve-wracking penalty shootout. Valery Gromyko missed the first kick (as he later would against Celtic), but Almaty’s side did not flinch thereafter: a flawless finish and passage won on nerve.
A Scottish Stronghold and the Odds Against Them
Before facing Celtic, the market recognized only one script: 1.04 on the Scots before the first leg — an ironclad “bet of the month.” The draw in Glasgow shifted the probabilities, yet Satpayev’s suspension felt like a bad omen. In the return, Kairat lined up with center-back pairing Alexander Martynovich — Egor Sorokin and back-up goalkeeper Temirlan Anarbekov (the first-choice keeper was injured in the first leg). Goalless in regulation — and penalties again, where the Kazakh champions showed that same “magnetic” accuracy. The underdog officially broke into the UCL main stage.
Hidden Boost: Calendars and Birthdays
The most amusing coincidence of the qualifying climb was the “birthday” factor.
- 15 July they knocked out Olimpija — the perfect gift for defender Alexander Mrynskiy, who himself sparked the celebration with a crucial goal.
- 29 July brought congratulations to legionnaire Yugo Stanoev — that same evening they sealed the comeback against the Finns.
- 12 August — Satpayev’s birthday — and Kairat beat Slovan on penalties.
- 26 August — Alexander Martynovich turned 38. Notably, the Belarusian is one of the few in the squad with UCL experience: in 2020 he made five appearances for Krasnodar.
What’s Next: Giants Come to Almaty, Opportunities Remain Open
In the autumn, the Almaty side are guaranteed to host a couple of giants at home and to visit some big arenas themselves. The first match of the main phase is scheduled for 16–18 September — there are no birthday boys in the squad for those dates, but the transfer window remains slightly ajar. Who knows, perhaps the “right” new signing will step into this fairy tale — and Kairat will keep arguing with the odds on the biggest stage.
