Past midnight, many miles past the borders of Europe, Temirlan Anarbekov was writing his identify into Celtic infamy. The 21‑yr‑outdated rookie goalkeeper had made the penalty shootout saves that guided Kazakhstan's Kairat Almaty into the Champions League group stage.
Adam Idah, Luke McCowan and Daizen Maeda every noticed makes an attempt saved by a keeper turned to in emergency. Kasper Schmeichel, his reverse quantity, might solely provide congratulations as Celtic incurred the heavy price of a poor efficiency over 210 goalless minutes earlier than their lack of composure from the spot.
The Celtic board's unpopular resolution to attend for switch enterprise till Champions League qualification was banked now appears prudent. However would an injection of contemporary attacking expertise have made a distinction? The place does this failure go away Brendan Rodgers's reign? To Celtic, reaching the elite competitors would have been value 4 instances the qualification income and win bonuses of the Europa League. As a substitute, historical past and future lie with Kairat. From Kazakhstan, solely Astana, a decade in the past, had beforehand reached the Champions League group stage.
Celtic won't be returning to the 36‑staff group stage they graced final season, and from which they certified into the knockouts. A “bitterly disenchanted” Rodgers fronted up. “It's very irritating,” he stated, harking again a yr in the past. “We confirmed a glimpse of what we will do at this degree. However we haven't been capable of present that over the course of those two video games.”
Home dominance had allowed rotation from a weekend win towards Livingston however a scarcity of high quality friends is suboptimal for a key engagement so early in a season. That lack of contemporary expertise had precipitated fretting amongst Bhoys supporters, 300 of whom had travelled 3,500 miles to Central Asia. In Almaty, new calls of “sack the board” had been heard. An Outdated Agency derby with Rangers follows this Sunday.
Fast InformationPafos edge out Pink Star
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Newcomers from Cyprus and Norway additionally superior on Tuesday night time to the elite league part. The Cypriot champions, Pafos, surprised Pink Star Belgrade, the European champions in 1991, with an 89th-minute aim by the Brazilian ahead Jajá to attract 1-1 at house and advance 3-2 on mixture. Bodø/Glimt eased previous Sturm Graz — profitable 6-2 on mixture regardless of a 2-1 second-leg loss in Austria — to carry league part video games to its stadium contained in the Arctic Circle. Related Press
“Everyone knows the consequence,” Rodgers stated. “If you happen to don't win the tie, you then drop into the Europa League. We wish to be within the Champions League however we aren't.” On a sizzling night in an open-plan, hostile stadium, Rodgers's staff struggled to interrupt down a high-energy, extremely motivated opponent. They returned to Glasgow in sorrow, embarking on what their supervisor described as a “lengthy, lengthy journey … we'll simply get again early hours of tomorrow morning after which we'll prepare for one more huge recreation Sunday”.
Not till halfway via the primary half did James Forrest have the primary Celtic likelihood, saved by Anarbekov, standing in for the injured common Aleksandr Zarutskiy, laying a marker for later heroics. Inside a colorless first half, excessive stakes flatlined leisure worth. Amid humidity and excessive altitude, Celtic ranges dropped even from their equally drab first‑leg efficiency. Callum McGregor's blocked shot was their second – and final – effort of the half.
“It was fairly scrappy, however we had moments and on one other night time most likely undergo, however you understand, we'd need to suck it up,” stated McGregor, the captain. “We're so disenchanted. We actually need Champions League soccer, nevertheless it exhibits you that on any given night time you must be on the extent. If you happen to don't fairly carry the luck and also you're not fairly there, you then gained't undergo.”
Rodgers made copious notes throughout the first half however Celtic nonetheless lacked fluency within the second. Schmeichel virtually got here to grief when McGregor volleyed the ball backwards. In panic, the keeper punched the ball. An oblique free-kick resulted however Jorginho might solely clatter right into a mass of hooped shirts.
Additional time and midnight native time beckoned, just for a golden likelihood to fall Maeda's method. Performed clear via by McGregor, Anarbekov surging out, a wealth of choices introduced however the end lacked any composure. One other half-hour of stalemate adopted.
There, concerted Celtic strain ultimately arrived however Kairat held agency. Penalties would resolve the far much less profitable fork within the highway Celtic should now take. The Kazakh membership are headed to Europe's promised land.
