Kairat Almaty defeated Celtic on penalties to create history.
Kairat Almaty of the Kazakhstan Premier League will compete in the Champions League league phase this season after Rafael Urazbakhtin’s squad upset Celtic in a historic penalty shootout.
The Kazakh minnows had a memorable night, winning a £40 million prize package and a spot in Europe’s elite competition’s group round.
Brendan Rodgers’ team were expected to breeze through the Champions League play-off second leg on Tuesday night, despite a poor showing in a 0-0 draw at Parkhead the week before.
But after the arduous 3,500-mile journey to Kazakhstan, Celtic battled again and were eliminated on penalties, with 21-year-old goalkeeper Temirlan Anarbekov making three important saves in the shootout.
Almaty, meantime, has made history by being the eastern-most club to ever enter the Champions League group stage, implying that some of Europe’s top stars may travel thousands of miles in the coming months.
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Here’s how followers on social media reacted to their accomplishment.
One person stated, “Kazakhstan’s second city is so far east that it is 4,500 kilometers from Central Europe and even farther east than China’s western border. Some amazing away days are ahead.”
Another submitted the following: “Champions League football will be played in the middle of Asia!” While a third wrote, “An incredible achievement.”
A fourth said, “Kairat Almaty are the eastern-most team to ever play in the Champions League and the second Kazakh club to play in the UCL. We have a fresh debutant at the UCL.”
Brendan Rodgers, Celtic’s manager, expressed unhappiness with the outcome after the game ended.
“It was very frustrating,” he explained. “It’s bitterly disappointing because we were on the right track last season, playing really good football, so to not be in there this season is a huge blow for us.”
Rodgers continued, “We’re all aware of the consequences. We wish to participate in the Champions League. We are not. The Europa League is a respectable league, but we squandered a huge opportunity in these two games.”
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