Today, the capital of Kazakhstan hosted the first leg match of UEFA Champions League first qualifying round in which Astana faced Dinamo Tbilisi.
The 30,000-seat Astana Arena was 90% full for the match. At the beginning of the match, the teams and the fans honored the memory of the Kazakh football legend - Seilda Baishakov with a moment of silence.
The hosts started the match very actively and attacked the visitors with great strength from the first minutes. A few mistakes while picking up the ball and eventually Astana opened the score. At the 11th minute, Abat Aimbetov hit. After the scored goal, Dinamo players increased the rhythm of the game and created several scoring opportunities at the opponent's goal before the end of the half. Ousmane Camara should have scored twice, in the second case he technically missed the rival, but he couldn't beat the goalkeeper at the last second. Imran Oulad Omar's shot was deflected by the post, and Davit Kobouri's shot was blocked by the goalkeeper at the last second. At the end of the half, it was still 1-0. In the second half, Dinamo did not drop the rhythm and Gabriel Sigua restored the status quo on the 57th minute. The hosts also recorded some dangerous moments in the asset, but it did not come to real danger. On the 81st minute of the match, the new player from Ivory Coast, Moussa Sangare, made his debut in the ranks of Dinamo. Dinamo tried to advance, but their efforts were not successful either, and the match ended with draw 1:1.
The return match will be held in Tbilisi on July 19 and it will start at 20:00.
Match report
Photos