The “royal” only did the most necessary: in the Champions League, Real Madrid won as expected at Underdog FK Cairat – because Kylian Mbappé also hits when his team does not go full throttle. In the 5: 0 (1: 0) success in Kazakhstan, the striker scored three goals (25, 52nd and 74th minute), Eduardo Camavinga (83.) and Brahim Diaz (90.+3) provided the final score.
Around 7000 kilometers are between Madrid and Almaty, where FK Cairat is native – and as far as the two cities are, the two football clubs separate worlds. An example: Real is a record champion in the Champions League with 15 titles, has a squad market value of 1.4 billion euros (source: transfermarkt.de), while Cairat is allowed to play in the premier class for the first time and has a team worth 12.73 million euros. Only four out of 25 real professionals are under this value as single players.
Madrid takes the time to arrive in the game
At the beginning of the game there was nothing to see. Cairate bravely played forward and the “royal” did not necessarily give the impression that they were to take the underdog 100 percent seriously. In the first ten minutes, the hosts had 3-0 shots – they weren’t too dangerous, but a first strong quality proof of the club from Kazakhstan.
Real appeared for the first time in the 14th minute in front of the opposing goal, Vinicius Jr. ran freely for Sherkhan Kalmurza and tried to get a lupfer that passed quite clearly – and this campaign also seemed to be lacking. However, the Madrilenes put on the pace that Arda Güler had the next good opportunity after a good combination, but his shot was blocked at the last moment (18th).
Mbappé shoots warm and then hits
Mbappé, his Schlenzer from 14 meters, was still able to defuse Kalmurza (21st), but a little later the Frenchman was successful. Franco Mastantuono sprinted a crashed header from Egon Sorokin and was fouled by the storming Kalmurza, there was penalty – and the converted Mbappé confidently to 0: 1 (25th).
From that moment at the latest it was the expected game, Madrid had almost exclusively the ball and Cairate tried to defend his own goal by all means. And until half-time, apart from an Mbappé Schlenzer past the box, it was not too dangerous after a fine solo in the opposing penalty area (44th).
12th goal in the 9th game for real clippers
When the host’s goal was endangered, Mbappé had his feet in the game – and so it was 0-2. Thibaut Courtois hit a long ball behind the Cairate defensive, the real striker expired him and chipped him more successfully than before Vinicius Jr. via Kalmurza (52nd). For Mbappé it was already the twelfth goal in the ninth competitive game of the season, and on the first Champions League game day he had scored both goals against Olympique Marseille (2-1).
And Mbappé should have added shortly afterwards. The 26-year-old came up with a spectacular ball acceptance and an equally remarkable heel trick, got the ball from Vinicius Jr. directly, but then shot past the goal completely free-standing (58.). Subsequently, Real subsided again and allowed some chances for Cairat, but the lack of quality of the outsider teams was shown.
Mbappé for the third – and then another real player snaps
Madrid finally started the game like a training game, brought no intensity to the square – with one exception. Because Mbappé had not yet lost his desire to score the goal and added a third goal. With a shot from 15 meters, the French world champion from 2022 also scored 3-0, it remained that in this Champions League season only Mbappé for Real.
But that changed in the 83rd minute when the Camavinga, which had only substituted two minutes earlier, increased to 4: 0, Diaz ensured the final score in added time (90.+3). Cairate suffered a clear bankruptcy, as already at the start at Sporting Lisbon (1: 4) – the club from Kazakhstan can even have hopes for success on the next match day. Because on October 21st, Almaty will have an absolute underdog duel against Pafos FC from Cyprus (6:45 p.m.). For Madrid, Juventus Turin (9 p.m.) continues a day later.