Celtic suffered a humiliating Champions League exit, losing 3-2 on penalties to Kairat Almaty after 210 goalless minutes across two legs. The Scottish champions' failure represents a catastrophic breakdown in both transfer strategy and on-field performance.
The relationship between Celtic fans and their board has reached breaking point after manager Brendan Rodgers was denied the attacking reinforcements he requested since July. Celtic failed to replace key players, with no wingers signed following Jota's injury and Nicolas Kuhn's sale to Como six weeks ago.
Penalty heartbreak
Adam Idah, Luke McCowan and Daizen Maeda all saw their penalties saved by 21-year-old second-choice goalkeeper Temirlan Anarbekov. The Kazakhs' regular keeper Alexandr Zarutskiy was ruled out through injury.
Maeda missed the match's defining moment in the 86th minute when Callum McGregor's pass sent him clean through on goal. With a defender trailing, the Japan attacker shot over from 18 yards when he should have secured Celtic's progression.
Massive financial blow
Celtic will miss out on an estimated £20million in Champions League revenue after dropping into the Europa League. According to the Daily Record, the financial impact could reach £40million when considering the full tournament cycle.
The defeat continues a dismal Scottish record in Kazakhstan, with no Scottish team ever winning there across seven previous attempts. This represents a significant regression from last season when Celtic reached the Champions League knockout stages under Rodgers.
Sources used: "Mirror", "Daily Star", "Daily Record" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
