Kazakhstan's Kairat suffered a 5-1 home defeat to Greece's Panathinaikos in the second round of the UEFA Conference League league phase, with the match played at Almaty Central Stadium, infohub.kz reports.
The visitors opened the scoring as early as the 6th minute through Argentine midfielder Vicente Taborda. Nigerian forward Cyril Dessers then struck twice — converting a penalty in the 24th minute and scoring from open play in the 47th. Zambian midfielder Kings Kangwa (57th minute) and Macedonian striker Elmin Rastoder (75th) also found the net for Panathinaikos.
The hosts' only goal came from Kazakh winger Ismail Bekbolat in the 79th minute, assisted by national team defender Aleksandr Shirobokov.
The loss was Kairat's first in the Conference League. Following their draw with Latvia's Riga, the Almaty side have one point and sit in 22nd place, though they will drop lower once the full round is completed. Panathinaikos top the table with a maximum six points.
In the third round of the Conference League, Kairat will face Italy's Atalanta away. The match in Bergamo kicks off on 5 October at 22:45 Kazakhstan time.
The Conference League league phase consists of six rounds. The top 24 teams out of 36 will advance to the play-offs.