Riga vs 15.10.26 16:451 – 1Full Time
Kairat Almaty — UEFA Europa Conference League: stats, lineups & analysis
Match report
Riga and Kairat Almaty share the points after early goals in Conference League opener
Riga and Kairat Almaty drew 1-1 at Skonto stadions in the opening matchday of the UEFA Europa Conference League league stage. Both goals arrived inside the first 12 minutes, and neither side could find a way through in the remaining 78 minutes plus stoppage time.
AI-assisted match report written from official match data.
Kairat took the lead after five minutes when Marc Gual converted a penalty to make it 1-0 to the visitors. Riga needed only seven more minutes to respond. Maksims Toņiševs supplied the assist for Salah Oulad M'Hand, whose finish made it 1-1 in the 12th minute.
The home side dominated what followed, holding 63% of possession and having 18 shots to 13, eight of them on target against three. Kairat defended for long spells and still mustered 13 attempts. The match produced two goals in total, both before the quarter-hour mark.
The point left Riga unbeaten in 8 games, while Kairat Almaty ended a run of 4 defeats in a row. Both sides play next on Thursday 22 October: Riga travel to face Pafos, and Kairat Almaty host Panathinaikos, both in the Conference League.
Temirlan Anarbekov received the highest rating of the match, 8.7, for Kairat Almaty. Salah Oulad M'Hand, rated 7.9, was Riga's best-rated attacker, having scored the equaliser.
Riga put eight of their 18 shots on target, compared with three from Kairat Almaty's 13.
Riga and Kairat Almaty drew 1–1 (half-time 1–1).
Riga met Kairat Almaty in the UEFA Europa Conference League (League Stage - 1). Kick-off was Thursday, 15 October 2026, 16:45 UTC at Skonto stadions. Referee: Florjan Lata.
Team pages: Riga · Kairat Almaty · UEFA Europa Conference League
Key moments
- 5' Goal (penalty): Marc Gual — 0–1
- 12' Goal: Salah Oulad M'Hand (assist: Maksims Toņiševs) — 1–1
Starting line-ups
Riga (4-2-3-1)
Kairat Almaty (4-2-3-1)
Sirius · Why these numbers
Before kick-off Sirius gave Riga 46%, the draw 28%, Kairat Almaty 26%. It finished Riga 1–1 Kairat Almaty.
Riga's ball control gives them a slight lean — Our strength rating has almost nothing between these sides, 1372 to 1399, so Riga's home advantage and their habit of controlling the ball, 50 to 44 in possession in recent games, put them in front at 46%. The draw sits at 28%, near the usual 27% between sides this level, nudged up by a typical 2.5 goals in each side's own games.
Why Riga in front?
Almost nothing between them on our strength rating — 1372 to 1399. Sides this close won 42.6% of 14,820 home games (draw 27.1%, visitors 30.3%). Riga hold 6 more possession points (50 to 44 in recent games) — and between equals, control has been worth something. Between evenly-matched sides, home teams with this control edge won 48.2% of 5,142 games, vs 44.0% when styles were level.
Why only 46%?
Because on our strength rating there is nothing in it. Level sides split the rest: the draw at 28% and Kairat Almaty at 26%.
Why is the draw second, ahead of the Kairat Almaty win?
Between sides this level the draw starts at 27.1%. These teams' recent games average 2.5 goals — a typical goals environment. Games in that environment drew 26.5% of 28,322. The goals environment adds 1.2 points to the draw.
What did we measure but not count?
Riga's last five in the competitions we cover: L-W-D-D-W — the hotter side across the games we track. Between equals, recent form told us almost nothing: the home side won 43.4% of 1902 games when clearly hotter and 43.7% of 3649 when clearly colder.
Sirius probabilities, frozen at kick-off. Analysis, not betting advice. How Sirius is doing this season · Full breakdown, evidence cards and squad news in the Match Insights tab
About this match
On this page: the Riga vs Kairat Almaty final score and result, who scored, starting lineups, match stats and the full match report from this UEFA Europa Conference League fixture.
- Who scored and when — a goal-by-goal timeline of the match.
- Match stats — possession, shots, expected goals (xG), corners and cards.
- Starting lineups and player ratings for both teams.
- Head-to-head record and recent form for both sides.
The full match report above covers the goals, key moments and stats. Explore more on the Riga and Kairat Almaty team pages or the UEFA Europa Conference League page.