Panathinaikos conquered Almaty, overpowering Kairat in a 5–1 victory. On their first visit to Kazakhstan, the Greens dominated, played superbly, and showed both sharpness and efficiency as they celebrated a commanding win—their second in the Conference League’s League Phase.
The match got off to an almost perfect start for the Greens. They took control and scored with the first chance they created. In the 6th minute, they moved the ball superbly; Kyriakopoulos delivered an excellent cross from the left, and Taborda, arriving at the far post, slotted it home to make it 1–0.
In the 16th minute, Tetteh was denied by Anarbekov in a one-on-one, but the second goal was not long in coming. Dessers was brought down in the penalty area, the referee awarded a penalty, and in the 24th minute the Nigerian striker stepped up and scored for the third consecutive match!
In the 29th minute, Palmer-Brown headed against the crossbar after a corner from Louza, followed by an impressive save from Anarbekov. Tetteh pounced on the rebound and put the ball in the net, but the goal was ruled out after a VAR offside decision.
Panathinaikos came out for the second half with their foot on the gas and scored their third goal almost straight from the restart. In the 47th minute, Tetteh played the ball through to Dessers, who got in behind Kairat’s defence and finished with his left foot to make it 3–0! It was Dessers’ sixth goal in five European appearances this season and his eighth overall.
The Greens’ party in Almaty continued. In the 57th minute, substitute Kangwa scored with a superb free kick to make it 4–0. Then, in the 75th minute, Rastoder found the net with a composed finish for 5–0, after a pass from Tetteh and a deflection off a defender.
Kairat managed only to pull one back through Bekbolat in the 79th minute, making it 5–1. In the 82nd minute, Pellistri came close to scoring the Greens’ sixth, but his shot hit the left post.
After scoring five against Asteras, the Greens found the net five times again. They celebrated the second biggest away win in their history in European competitions, after their 6–0 victory over Electroputere Craiova in September 1992.
Kairat Almaty: Anarbekov, Mata (65’ Kurgin), Martinović, Mrinski, Baibek (32’ Shirobokov), Tapalov, Oksanen (65’ Kasabulat), Mendonça, Tuiakbayev, Gual (65’ Bekbolat), Edmilson (46’ Yukola).
Panathinaikos: Pena, Tsapras, Kyriakopoulos, De Vrij (76’ Katris), Palmer-Brown, Kamara (56’ Kangwa), Louza (65’ Chirivella), Taborda, Andino (65’ Pellistri), Tetteh, Dessers (56’ Rastoder).
