ALMATY— Inter Milan survived a strong challenge from Almaty’s Kairat, edging out a narrow 2:1 victory at San Siro on Nov. 5 to maintain their record in this season’s UEFA Champions League group stage.
Photo credit: inter.it
According to the BBC, the Italian club, which had won its three previous matches without conceding a goal, started aggressively and dominated possession early on.
Kairat’s goalkeeper Temirlan Anarbekov put on a stellar performance, saving multiple dangerous attempts from Lautaro Martinez and his teammates to keep his side in the game.
Inter eventually broke the deadlock shortly before halftime when captain Lautaro Martinez bundled the ball into the net after his first shot had been blocked. The hosts looked set for another routine win, but Kairat responded with determination after the break, reported the Kazinform news agency.
In the 55th minute, defender Ofri Arad equalized with a precise header into the bottom corner, stunning the Milan crowd and bringing the Kazakh side back into contention.
Inter regained the lead twelve minutes later in the 67th minute, when Esposito laid the ball off to Carlos Augusto, who unleashed a powerful low strike from the edge of the penalty area that found the corner of the net, sealing the win for the Italian champions.
Both teams continued to press in the final stages, but Inter won 2:1. Despite the defeat, Kairat earned praise for their organized defense and resilience against one of Europe’s elite clubs.
Kairat has now completed four games in the league phase of the competition. After opening with heavy losses to Sporting (1:4) and Real Madrid (0:5), Kairat managed to secure their first point with a goalless draw against Pafos.
After four rounds, Kairat sits 34th out of 36 teams in the overall table, ahead of Benfica and Ajax.
Kairat’s next match in the UEFA Champions League will take place on Nov. 26, when they travel to face Copenhagen in what could be a decisive fixture for their campaign.
