To maintain any realistic hopes of reaching the knockout stages, Copenhagen could not afford anything other than all three points against a side still waiting for their first main draw UEFA competition win, with this their 12th such attempt.
And, in the first half, they were certainly the more dangerous of the two sides. Gabriel Pereira was the first to go close, heading over from a central position, while Lukas Lerager also failed to hit the target with a similar effort.
Kairat, who managed to pick up one point from their opening four UCL league phase matches this term, did go close through Edmilson’s close-range volley and Dastan Satpaev’s effort from distance.
However, Copenhagen generally dictated the tempo and broke the deadlock midway through the half. Viktor Dadason, who became the UCL’s third-youngest goalscorer in the October 4-2 defeat to Borussia Dortmund, was again on the scoresheet, heading home after Temirlan Anarbekov had saved Robert Silva’s shot.
The hosts would have been two up by the break had Anarbekov not saved Dadason’s reaction shot after the goalkeeper spilt Viktor Claesson’s strike from distance.
The opening 10 minutes of the second period were somewhat tame before the game burst into life. Kairat almost had an incredible equaliser, with only the woodwork denying Yerkin Tapalov’s stunning volley from outside the area from finding the back of the net, before Junnosuke Suzuki’s attempt after a mazy run was kept out by Dominik Kotarski.
Shortly after, though, the Danish side were presented with the perfect opportunity to double their advantage when Damir Kassabulat handled Jordan Larsson’s cross, leading to a penalty. From 12 yards, Larsson made no mistake, hammering into the top corner to give his team extra breathing space.
The win was effectively secured in the 73rd minute, with Robert’s deflected strike nestling in the bottom corner.
The visitors did strike back through 17-year-old Satpaev, who took Dadason’s place in the youngest UCL goalscorer standings when he punished Kotarski’s complacency in possession before tapping into an empty net.
A nervy final few minutes then ensued when substitute Olzhas Baybek produced a composed finish in the 90th minute.
However, Copenhagen ultimately held on, securing just their third win in 17 league phase/group stage matches.
This result breathes new life into their UCL journey, while Kairat, who have just one point to their name, are already staring at an early exit.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Robert Silva (FC Copenhagen)
