Kairat Almaty sets new Champions League record
Kenley Ward
Dailysports's expert
A historic moment for the Kazakh club.
Details: In the opening round of the UEFA Champions League, Portuguese side Sporting faced Kazakhstan’s Kairat in Lisbon at the José Alvalade Stadium.
Alongside their historic Champions League debut and their first-ever group stage goal, the Kazakh club also set a new Champions League record. Kairat had to travel 4,292 miles to play Sporting in Lisbon—marking the greatest distance ever covered between two teams in the history of the Champions League.
The previous record belonged to Benfica, who traveled 3,835 miles to face another Kazakh team, Astana, during the 2015/16 season.
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The clash between Sporting and Kairat ended in a convincing 4-1 victory for the Portuguese, yet the Kazakh side managed to sweeten the sting of defeat with their first-ever group stage goal in the Champions League.
Reminder: A million views on social media! Viral video captures commentators' reaction to Kairat's Champions League breakthrough
