Olympiacos edge Kairat Almaty 1-0 in first UCL win
Olympiacos finally ended their miserable run of away defeats in the UEFA Champions League, edging Kairat Almaty 1-0 in Kazakhstan despite an inspired performance from goalkeeper Temirlan Anarbekov.
Both clubs kicked off the encounter still searching for their first win in this season’s league phase, and Olympiacos quickly settled into a rhythm.
Chiquinho and Ayoub El Kaabi threatened early but couldn’t find the target, while Gelson Martins’ effort was blocked as the visitors repeatedly pushed forward.
Anarbekov was called into action several times, first getting a fingertip on El Kaabi’s close-range header, then reacting sharply to a fierce strike from the Moroccan after a move that was eventually flagged offside.
The young keeper continued to frustrate the Greeks, gathering a Chiquinho flick and charging out to cut off another El Kaabi chance before the interval.
Kairat looked livelier after the restart thanks to a double substitution, with Jorginho heading over and Edmilson bursting into the box only to lack the final ball.
Still, Anarbekov remained the busier of the two keepers, palming away another drive from Chiquinho.
The pressure eventually told. With just over 15 minutes remaining, substitute Mehdi Taremi slipped a clever pass into the path of Martins, who snuck his finish inside the near post to give Olympiacos the breakthrough they had been craving.
Anarbekov continued to shine, pulling off two stunning late stops and watching El Kaabi crash a shot against the crossbar, but the hosts could not find the equaliser.
The victory lifts Olympiacos to five points and keeps their hopes of reaching the play-offs alive.
For Kairat, a third straight defeat leaves their campaign hanging by a thread with just a single point to show for their efforts.
