Sutjeska vs Kairat Almaty

The first half was a tightly contested affair with few clear-cut chances. Sutjeska, needing a 2-0 win to overturn the 2-1 first-leg deficit from Almaty, started with intensity but struggled to carve out meaningful openings. The home side's discipline frayed early: Marko Šimun was booked in the 25th minute for a foul, and Aleksa Golubović followed him into the referee's notebook four minutes later. The half ended goalless with Sutjeska yet to test the Kairat goalkeeper.

Sutjeska head coach Miljan Radović made an early change at the break, introducing Kenroy Campbell for Petar Anicic. Two more substitutions followed in the 56th minute — Mamadou Camara and Aleksandar Boljevic replacing Šimun and Vasilije Čavor — as the Montenegrin champions pushed for the breakthrough their aggregate situation demanded.

The game turned decisively in the 68th minute. Ismail Bekbolat collected the ball on the left side of the box and unleashed a left-footed strike that beat the Sutjeska goalkeeper at his near post, putting Kairat 1-0 up on the night and making it 3-1 on aggregate.

Andrija Ražnatović's sending-off in the 80th minute extinguished any lingering hope for Sutjeska. The midfielder, already on a yellow card from the 65th minute, was shown a second yellow for a foul and dismissed. What had already been a steep mountain to climb became an impossibility with 10 men.

Within three minutes of the red card, Kairat made the numerical advantage count. Jorginho stepped up to convert a penalty in the 83rd minute, slotting a right-footed shot into the corner to make it 2-0 on the night and 4-1 on aggregate. The Portuguese striker was substituted immediately after the goal, his job done.

Sutjeska's Deni Hočko was booked in the 88th minute and Kairat's Jaakko Oksanen followed him into the book a minute later, but the result was long settled.

Ismail Bekbolat (Kairat Almaty) — The 68th-minute opener was the moment that broke Sutjeska's resistance. His well-taken left-footed finish from inside the box was the game's defining technical moment and effectively killed the tie as a contest.

Jorginho (Kairat Almaty) — Cool from the penalty spot to seal the result. The Portuguese striker's 83rd-minute penalty made the tie safe, and he was withdrawn immediately to preserve energy for the next round.

Andrija Ražnatović (Sutjeska) — A night to forget. Already on a yellow card, his second bookable offence in the 80th minute left his teammates with a 10-man mountain to climb and effectively ended any faint hope of a comeback.

Sutjeska's 4-1 yellow-card count and 1-0 red-card disadvantage tell the story of a side that grew increasingly frustrated as the tie slipped away. Kairat's discipline — just one yellow card (Oksanen, 89th minute) — allowed them to manage the game clinically after taking the lead. The first leg had followed a similar pattern: Kairat won 2-1 at the Almaty Central Stadium on 8 July 2026 in front of 14,356, with goals from Lucas Áfrico (76') and Marc Gual (90+2') cancelling out Marko Mrvaljevic's 90th-minute equaliser for Sutjeska. Over 180 minutes, Kairat never trailed.

Kairat Almaty advance to the UEFA Champions League Second Qualifying Round with a 4-1 aggregate victory. The Kazakh champions, who competed in the Champions League league phase last season, will face their next opponent in late July. Sutjeska's European campaign ends at the first qualifying round, following last season's exit at the same stage of the Champions League and a second-round defeat in the Conference League. The Montenegrin side will now turn their attention to domestic competition.

This was a professional, controlled performance from Kairat Almaty against a Sutjeska side that lacked the quality to trouble a team accustomed to Champions League football. The first-leg win in Almaty had already given Kairat breathing room, and they never looked like squandering it. Sutjeska's indiscipline across both legs reflected a gulf in experience at this level. Kairat move on; Sutjeska return to domestic duties.