Champions League Debut Turns Sour as Sporting Crush Kairat

Sporting CP finally ended their Champions League winless streak in emphatic style, cruising to a 4–1 victory over Kazakh debutants FC Kairat in Lisbon.

While the final scoreline suggests a one-sided affair, the opening 45 minutes told a different story. The visitors from Kazakhstan, making their first-ever appearance in the UEFA Champions League group stage, held their ground admirably — thanks in large part to an impressive performance by 18-year-old goalkeeper Ramazan Kalmurza.

The teenager, making just his second professional appearance, made headlines early by saving a penalty in the 21st minute, briefly silencing the crowd at the Estádio José Alvalade.

But the breakthrough eventually came. In the 44th minute, Francisco Trincão curled a sublime effort from outside the box into the bottom corner to give Sporting a deserved 1–0 lead heading into the break.

Kairat started the second half brightly, creating a pair of decent chances that had the home side nervous. But that momentum was short-lived. Between the 65 and 68 minutes, Sporting exploded with a devastating three-goal burst — Trincão bagged his second, followed swiftly by strikes from Alisson Santos and Quenda.

With the score at 4–0, the match appeared all but over — but Kairat managed to salvage a slice of history. In the 86th minute, Brazilian forward Edmilson tapped home from close range after an assist from compatriot Ricardinho, scoring Kairat’s first-ever goal in the Champions League group stage.

2025-26 UEFA Champions League

Sporting CP - Kairat 4:1 (1:0)
Goals: Trincão, 44 (1:0); Trincão, 65 (2:0); Santos A., 67 (3:0); Quenda, 68 (4:0); Edmilson, 86 (4:1)

Sporting CP: Virgínia; Fresneda; Inacio; Quaresma E.; Pedro Gonçalves (Santos A., 61); Kochorashvili (Morita, 61); Hjulmand (Debast, 70); Quenda; Araújo M. (Reis M., 66); Trincão; Suárez L.J. (Ioannidis F., 61)
Substitution: Morita (from 61); Santos A. (from 61); Ioannidis F. (from 61); Reis M. (from 66); Debast (from 70)
Bench: Calai Diego; Vagiannidis; Mangas; Simões; Ribeiro R.; Anjos L.
Yellow Cards: Kochorashvili 3; Suárez L.J. 31; Quenda 69; Debast 78

Kairat: Kalmurza; Luis Mata (Kurgin, 80); Kasabulat (Sadybekov, 76); Martynovich; Arad (Edmilson, 70); Tapalov (Stanojev J., 70); Mrynskiy (Ricardinho V., 81); Sorokin; Gromyko; Jorginho; Satpayev
Substitution: Edmilson (from 70); Stanojev J. (from 70); Sadybekov (from 76); Kurgin (from 80); Ricardinho V. (from 81)
Bench: Shirobokov; Baybek
Yellow Cards: Jorginho 39; Satpayev 90