The “red-and-whites” travelled to Astana needing nothing less than a win – and got exactly that, prevailing 1–0 in temperatures that plunged to –21°C. The three points keep their hopes of qualifying to the next round very much alive, with fixtures against Bayer Leverkusen (21/01/26) and Ajax (29/01/26) still to come to complete the Group Stage.
The Greek champions were clearly superior to Kairat Almaty and, based on their overall display at the Astana Arena, could have easily scored more. The winning goal came in the 73rd minute, when Martins finished from a Taremi assist, while Olympiacos also struck the woodwork twice – first through Taremi in the 75th minute and then through El Kaabi in the 79th.
Kairat Almaty (Rafael Urazbakhtin): Anarbekov, Tapalov (62′ Tuyakbaev), Shirobokov, Sorokin, Luís Mata, D. Glazer, Baibek, Mrynskiy, Ricardinho (46′ Jorginho), Zaria (46′ Gromyko), Edmilson (82′ Stanojev).
OLYMPIACOS (Jose Luis Mendilibar): Tzolakis, Ortega, Pirola, Biancone, Rodinei, Hezze (84′ Garcia), Mouzakitis, Chiquinho (62′ Taremi), Martins, Podence (62′ Strefezza), El Kaabi.
