Kazakh club, Kairat Almaty knocked Celtic out of the UEFA Champions League qualifiers and secured their first-ever group-stage appearance on Tuesday night, August 26.
Kairat Almaty frustrated the former European champions across two cagey legs that ended goalless, before winning a tense shootout 3-2 in Almaty. The night belonged to 21-year-old goalkeeper Temirlan Anarbekov, who pulled off decisive saves and emerged as the unlikely hero of a generation-defining win.
Anarbekov had already kept Celtic at bay late in extra time, palming away Luke McCowan’s fierce 112th-minute effort to drag the contest to penalties. From there, Celtic cracked under pressure, missing three times from the spot, including a decisive effort from Japanese forward Daizen Maeda.
Despite enjoying more of the ball and creating 22 shots across both legs, Brendan Rodgers’ men looked blunt in attack. Just eight attempts found the target, highlighting a frustrating campaign that ended with the Scottish giants being relegated to the Europa League.
Rodgers admitted the result was “a huge blow,” pointing to missed opportunities and external factors that played against his team.
“I thought overall it was a poor game. The quality of the pitch made it awful”, he said.
“We were defensively okay but couldn’t make the breakthrough. We had chances, and then when it comes to penalties, anything can happen.
“Very disappointed. There was plenty of endeavour there, the players worked hard, but over the two legs, we’re disappointed not to have scored.
“We just have to reflect on opportunities we had that we didn’t take. We have to settle for the Europa League.
“It’s very frustrating, we showed a glimpse of what we can do at this level [last season], but we haven’t shown that over these two games. It’s a huge blow for us.
“We all know the consequence. We want to be in the Champions League, but we aren’t. Europa League is still a prestigious competition but we’ve missed a massive opportunity across these two games.
“There is a long journey home. There isn’t a lot to say to the players now, they are bitterly disappointed.”
For Kairat Almaty, the night will be remembered forever. The club became only the second Kazakh side in history to reach the Champions League group stage, following Astana’s debut in 2015.
In Norway, Bodo/Glimt also sealed their first group-stage spot despite falling 2-1 away to Sturm Graz, their emphatic 5-0 first-leg win ensuring a comfortable 6-2 aggregate passage.
It marks the first time since 2007 (when Rosenborg featured) that Norway will have a representative in Europe’s premier competition.
Meanwhile, in Cyprus, Pafos FC celebrated a first-ever qualification after beating Red Star Belgrade 3-2 on aggregate. An 89th-minute goal from Jaja secured a 1-1 draw on the night and set off wild celebrations in the coastal city as the team clung on through more than 10 minutes of stoppage time.
The group-stage draw will be held on Thursday, August 28, in Monaco, with fixtures set to kick off between September 16 and 18.
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