Atalanta Battles to Draw Against Kairat Almaty in Conference League Match
BERGAMO, ITALY – The wait for a victory continues for Atalanta BC as they salvaged a 1-1 draw against Kairat Almaty in the UEFA Conference League, thanks to a late goal from Nikola Krstovic. This result extended Atalanta’s winless streak to seven matches, following a series of disappointing performances, including a recent 3-0 home defeat to Parma.
Facing a growing crisis, Atalanta entered a three-day training retreat ahead of this match, looking to regain momentum. The club has been dealing with significant injury woes, with key players such as Thomas Kristensen, Gianluca Gaetano, Raoul Bellanova, Franck Kessie, Sead Kolasinac, Isak Hien, Giacomo Raspadori, and Odilon Kossounou sidelined. This led to youth team defender Javison Idele making his first start in the match. Previously, they had managed a 3-1 win against Pafos but fell to a 2-0 loss against Ajax in this tournament.
Kairat Almaty, who exited the Champions League and Europa League preliminary rounds after winning the Kazakhstan title, struggled early in the competition. The team suffered a heavy 5-1 defeat against Panathinaikos before this match. Their striker Jorginho, who had been dealing with a torn ACL since July, returned for his second game under caretaker manager Zhora Arutyunyan.
Throughout the match, Atalanta created several chances, with Jonathan Rowe testing the goalkeeper from the edge of the area and coming close on multiple occasions. They almost capitalized after an awkward back pass from Damir Kassabulat nearly turned into an own goal, while Marco Carnesecchi made crucial saves against Alexandr Mrynskiy and Gustavo Mendonca.
Despite their offensive efforts, Atalanta failed to convert during the first half, with Mario Pasalic narrowly missing the target. The game’s dynamics shifted when Marc Gual scored for Kairat Almaty with a counterattack, taking the lead against the run of play.
Atalanta’s search for an equalizer intensified, with Krstovic eventually finding the back of the net following a corner, pulling the score level. The team pressed hard for a late winner but could not find the finishing touch, marking a continued struggle in the competition.
The goals were scored by Marc Gual for Kairat Almaty in the 53rd minute and Nikola Krstovic in the 82nd minute for Atalanta.
