Kairat Almaty vs RSC Anderlecht

Anderlecht made light work of Kairat Almaty on the road, cruising to a 0-3 win in the first leg of their Europa League play-off. The Belgians were ruthless early, putting the tie to bed before the break and leaving the hosts with plenty to do in the return leg. Giulian Biancone opened the scoring in the 4th minute after a scramble in the box, and Lukas Ambros doubled the lead in the 25th with a fine curled effort. Kairat's night worsened when Alexander Shirobokov was sent off in the 38th minute, his yellow upgraded to red via VAR for a reckless challenge on Danylo Sikan. Sikan then headed home a corner in stoppage time to make it 0-3. With a three-goal cushion and a man advantage, Anderlecht coasted through the second half and look set for the league phase. For Kairat, the setback and red card leave the tie all but decided ahead of next week's return.