Here we go: Kairat Almaty 2 - 1 Sutjeska, first-leg advantage secured in Almaty after stoppage time swung twice in two minutes.
R. Urazbakhtin stayed with his 4-2-3-1 and trusted Marc Gual as the focal point, while M. Savović lined Sutjeska in a 4-3-3 built on Deni Hočko and Jovan Čađenović screening the back line. The first half was tight, Kairat probing without incision, Sutjeska happy to slow the tempo. Jorginho thought he had cracked it in the 33rd minute before VAR scrubbed his finish for offside, and the visitors collected bookings for Čađenović in the 35th minute and Aleksa Golubović in the 41st as they leaned into the physical battle. Damir Kasabulat followed into the book in the 43rd minute, summing up a frantic spell before the break.
Understand Urazbakhtin saw enough: a triple switch at half-time, Aleksandr Shirobokov, Edmilson and Azamat Tuyakbayev replacing Aleksandr Martynovich, Erkin Tapalov and Kasabulat, reshaped Kairat into a more vertical unit. The payoff arrived once Ismail Bekbolat stepped on in the 74th minute for Oiva Jukkola. Two minutes later Bekbolat fed Lucas Áfrico, who finished in the 76th minute to justify the coach’s aggressive adjustments and cap a rare centre-back surge.
Savović countered with Balša Tošković and Aleksandar Boljević from the 60th minute and later Rados Dedić in the 69th minute, effectively moving Sutjeska higher up the pitch. Pressure finally told when Hočko threaded a pass into Marko Mrvaljević, the striker levelling in the 90th minute and tilting the tie back towards Nikšić.
Kairat refused to fold. Again Bekbolat found the key pass, sliding a simple ball into Gual, who converted in the 90+2nd minute. Two assists in 18 minutes from the substitute flipped the match, and Urazbakhtin’s bench trust looked inspired.
Aleksandar Boljević’s yellow card in the 75th minute underlined Sutjeska’s increasingly desperate chase, while the early cautions for Čađenović and Golubović mirrored a midfield duel Kairat ultimately mastered once Jaakko Oksanen had runners ahead of him. Shirobokov also steadied the back four, freeing Áfrico to attack the decisive phase.
Key Figures
- Goals: Lucas Áfrico 76' (assist Ismail Bekbolat), Marko Mrvaljević 90' (assist Deni Hočko), Marc Gual 90+2' (assist Ismail Bekbolat)
- Yellow cards: Jovan Čađenović 35', Aleksa Golubović 41', Damir Kasabulat 43', Aleksandar Boljević 75'
- Substitutions of note: Kairat triple change at 46', Bekbolat introduction 74'; Sutjeska double switch 60', Dedić on 69', late double swap 84' (Igor Pajović and Aleksandar Šćekić)
The second leg in Montenegro now demands that Savović’s side chase down a one-goal deficit while keeping Gual quiet, and Kairat will travel knowing Bekbolat has reset the pecking order on Urazbakhtin’s wing. Elsewhere in qualifying, see how the night unfolded in Flora Tallinn vs Saburtalo and Petrocub vs Egnatia Rrogozhinë as this round gathers pace.
