Dessers Scores Twice as Panathinaikos Rout Kairat 5-1 in Almaty

By Taki Panos

Long trips to the far edge of Europe are supposed to be awkward, the kind of away day where you grind out a point and fly home happy. Panathinaikos did not read that script. On Thursday, October 22, 2026, the Greens beat Kairat Almaty 5-1 in Kazakhstan on matchday 2 of the UEFA Conference League league phase, with Cyriel Dessers scoring twice and three other players getting on the scoresheet, as Sport24 and Gazzetta reported.

For anyone just tuning in, Jacob Neestrup's side opened the league phase a week earlier with a 2-1 home win over Borac Banja Luka. That makes it six points from two games. In this format there are no groups: 36 teams share one table, each plays six games, the top eight go straight to the last 16, and places 9 to 24 go into a playoff round. A five-goal away win is exactly the kind of result that helps a team stay in that top eight.

It took six minutes to get going. Giorgos Kyriakopoulos delivered a low ball from the left and Vicente Taborda, the Argentine attacking midfielder, ghosted in behind the Kairat defense to finish for 1-0, according to both Sport24 and Gazzetta. Kairat answered almost immediately with a chance that flew just wide, and there were a few loose moments at the back early on. Even so, the visitors looked the sharper side from the start. Fair warning for the hosts.

Andreas Tetteh, the Greek striker, nearly made it two when he was sent clean through, but Kairat goalkeeper Temirlan Anarbekov came out and smothered it, per Gazzetta and Sport24. The second goal came anyway midway through the first half. Dessers turned his defender inside the box, was brought down, and the Dutch referee pointed to the spot. The Nigerian forward took the penalty himself and made it 2-0.

Panathinaikos thought they had a third around the half-hour mark. Tetteh pounced from close range after an Erik Palmer-Brown header, but VAR ruled him offside by the smallest of margins, both outlets reported. Gazzetta called it the right decision after checking the replay and the lines. Annoying for Tetteh, who had a lively game, but it hardly mattered. Kairat tried a few shots from distance before the break, and none of them really troubled Iñaki Peña.

The second half started exactly like the first. Two minutes after the restart, Tetteh slid a perfect through ball behind a Kairat back line that had pushed far too high, and Dessers ran clear and finished with real class for 3-0, Sport24 and Gazzetta reported. At that point the match was effectively over, and Neestrup could start thinking about the weekend and about saving legs for a long autumn.

That is when the bench joined the party. In the 56th minute Neestrup sent on Kings Kangwa and Rastoder, replacing Dessers and Kamara. Almost straight away Panathinaikos won a free kick just outside the box, and Kangwa struck it beautifully for 4-0, according to both Sport24 and Gazzetta. Few substitutes make an impact that fast. It was a lovely strike, and it turned a comfortable win into a rout.

Rastoder added the fifth in the 75th minute. Tetteh led another counterattack and tried to find him with a pass, the ball took a couple of deflections, and it fell kindly for the tall forward, who finished calmly for 5-0, per Gazzetta and Sport24. Kairat got a consolation four minutes later after a mix-up in the Panathinaikos defense involving substitute Katris, which spoiled the clean sheet but not the evening.

The night belonged to Dessers. His two goals took him to 13 in Conference League history, scored for Feyenoord and Panathinaikos, which puts him level with Lech Poznan's Mikael Ishak at the top of the competition's all-time scoring list, Sport24 and Gazzetta reported. Right behind them is a familiar Greek name: Vangelis Pavlidis, who scored 12 for AZ Alkmaar. Olympiacos striker Ayoub El Kaabi sits just behind on 11. That is quite a list to lead.

There were good nights for the Greeks in green too. Kyriakopoulos made the opener, and Gazzetta described Tetteh as a puzzle the Kairat defense never solved, while also praising Moroccan midfielder Louza, who was excellent again after his big game against Asteras. With Ounahi out until 2027, the midfield needs players who can carry the creative load, and right now Louza is doing it.

The rotation made the scoreline even more impressive. Gazzetta reported that Neestrup made six changes from his previous lineup, resting right back Calabria and using Tsapras in his place, with Kyriakopoulos back on the left. Rotating that heavily and still scoring five away from home says plenty about the depth of this squad. Gazzetta also counted around 150 Panathinaikos fans who made the long journey to Almaty, and they got a night to remember.

My take: let's keep it measured, because Kairat were open and generous at the back, and no one wins anything in October. Still, this is what a serious European team does with a game like this. It took the points, it fixed its goal difference, which can decide ties in a 36-team table, and it gave minutes to the bench. Six points from two games is a strong base, and with Dessers in this kind of form, Panathinaikos have a finisher who punishes every mistake.

Next up in Europe, Panathinaikos host CSKA Sofia at OAKA on Thursday, November 5, at 10:00 PM Greek time, per Sport24 and Gazzetta. After that come trips to Nordsjaelland on November 26 and Freiburg on December 10, then Brighton at home on December 17. Keep an eye on our Greek Sports section for every Greek club in Europe this season. Five goals in Almaty. Not a bad souvenir.

Sources: Sport24, Gazzetta.

Image: Panathinaikos FC crest, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).