Kairat Vs Real Madrid: The Journey Of Los Blancos 6,437 Km

Real Madrid traveled a long way to travel in the Champions League after a crushing defeat at Derby Madrid (Instagram/@realmadrid).

JAKARTA - After suffering a historic crushing defeat to Atletico Madrid in La Liga on Saturday, September 27, 2025, Real Madrid had to make a long journey for the Champions League match.

Just 19 hours after losing 2-5 to his city rivals, Los Blancos flew to Kazakhstan to visit Kairat Almaty's headquarters in the Champions League.

They traveled 4,000 miles east or about 6,437 km - from Western Europe to Central Asia.

The Spanish newspaper, Diario AS, described Real Madrid's journey as 'therapy at 30,000 feet' to treat a crushing defeat in Madrid Derby.

Another newspaper, Marca, said the trip occurred 'at the worst time'.

If you concede five goals in the Madrid Derby is something that hasn't happened before - hasn't happened for 75 years - then this (the journey to Kazakhstan is the same new experience for Los Blancos.

Almaty, the capital of Kazakhstan's history and culture, has a longitude of 76.939948 degrees. There has never been a Champions League match played in the east so far.

His longitude is similar to New Delhi, India. Depart to the east of Almaty, along the A-351 highway, and the border with China is only four hours away.

Kairat competed in the Champions League for the first time in 71 years of their history. In the first match, they were beaten 1-4 in Lisbon by Sporting CP. Now, they will host the 15-time Champions League champions.

Real Madrid players boarded a charter plane from Madrid's Barajas Airport on Sunday, September 28, 2025 at around 13.00 local time. Nearly eight hours later - midnight in Almaty, three hours earlier than Spain - they landed in Kazakhstan, at Almaty International Airport.

Launching the UEFA page, they were greeted by cultural performances, when locals in traditional Kazakstan clothing gathered around, playing the Champions League song with traditional musical instruments, including a dombra (gap-like guitar) and a zhetygen that looks like a cyter.

Local fans also welcomed Xabi Alonso's troops with a number of Real Madrid jerseys.

Then, they went to the InterContinental Hotel - five-star hotel in Almaty - about half an hour's drive from the city center. Room prices are between 250-450 euros per night. Reviewing praising his strategic location and breakfast.

Almaty is not a remote area. The city is the largest city in Kazakhstan, the ninth largest country in the world by region.

The city is a regional and cultural center, and it has been so for centuries. Despite being nearby, the Tian Shan Mountains which are often covered in snow, the weather in September was quite hot.

Temperatures peaked at 81 degrees Fahrenheit (27.2 degrees Celsius) on Monday, September 29, 2025, with a humidity of 30 percent.

Pada Minggu malam, ratusan penggemar berkumpul di luar hotel tim, untuk menyambut kedatangan para pemain.

"I am a Real Madrid fan since I was a child. I want to ask for your signature," asked one of the posters raised by a young fan politely reported by ESPN.

Supporters are also waiting for Real Madrid players outside the training stadium in Almaty.

Kairat is a big club in Kazakhstan and has regularly played in the first division during the Soviet era, but their lineage at this level is limited. No doubt, this is the most prestigious match in their history.

The Kazakstan Football Federation joined UEFA in 2002. Since then, when Kairat qualified for the European tournament, they have often been hampered in the Europa League qualifying round.

In the 2021/2022 season, they played in the Champions League qualifiers - lost to Red Star Belgrade - and then went down to the newly formed UEFA Conference League, where they competed in the group stage.

This season, they managed to get past three qualifying rounds - beating Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia), Kuopion Palloseura (Finland), and Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia) - to reach the Champions League playoffs, which they beat Celtic on penalties.

Now, it is Real Madrid's turn to test the Kazakstan representative. Inter Milan and Arsenal will taste the trip in the next phase of the league.

Kairat did not experience difficult times at the start of the season. The Kazakhstan Premier League (Kazakhstan Premier League) premiered in March 2025 and lasted until October 2025.

Kairat, the defending champion, is in second place in the standings, one point behind city rivals Astana - the only Kazakstan team that previously appeared in the Champions League - after playing one game less.

The Kairat Stadium, the Central Stadium of Almaty, can accommodate a maximum of 25,000 people. The number of spectators is often much lower, but 22,800 people attended Kairat's win over Celtic in the Champions League playoffs, a match after extra time and the penalty shoot-out ended long after midnight.

Few Real Madrid fans are expected to travel to Almaty from Spain.

For those wishing to attend, the trip is in the best possible scenario involving a seven-hour flight from Madrid on Monday, a two-hour transit in Doha, Qatar, and then another four-hour flight to Almaty, arriving at 02.00 a.m. on Tuesday.

Then the flight back to Spain departed at 03.30 in the morning on Wednesday, October 1, 2025 local time, after the match.

Meanwhile, coach Xabi Alonso admitted that the defeat against Atletico Madrid injured Real Madrid players and supporters.

He said the important thing was how his troops reacted. Their first chance to do so comes in a town closer to Tokyo or Singapore than Real Madrid.

From winning the first five editions of the European Cup, three consecutive 2016-2018 titles, to their extraordinary revival in 2022, Real Madrid think they have achieved everything in the Champions League.

However, it turns out that there are still several new areas that must be conquered.