ALMATY (Kazakhstan): The Champions League is coming to Kazakhstan for just the second time, and newcomers from Norway and Cyprus also advanced on Tuesday to the elite league phase.

FC Kairat Almaty goalkeeper Temirlan Anarbekov saved three penalties in the shootout to lift the Kazakh champions over Celtic in the qualifying playoffs after the teams played out a second straight 0-0 draw.

Kairat will compete in the competition proper for the first time after the 3-2 penalty shootout win.

Last season’s Europa League semi-finalists Bodo/Glimt of Norway eased past Sturm Graz — winning 6-2 on aggregate despite a 2-1 loss Tuesday in Austria — to bring Champions League games to their stadium inside the Arctic Circle this season.

Norway will have a team in the competition proper for the first time since 2007, when Rosenborg featured.

Bodo/Glimt and Pafos earn first spots

Unheralded Cypriot champions Pafos celebrated reaching the league stage after edging out Red Star Belgrade, the European champions in 1991, 3-2 on aggregate.

Home hero Jaja struck in the 89th minute to make it 1-1 on the night, before the hosts survived almost 10 minutes of stoppage time to spark jubilant scenes in the coastal Mediterranean city.

All three winners will take their places alongside title holders Paris St Germain, Real Madrid and a stellar list of European powers in the draw ceremony in Monaco on Thursday with the first matchday scheduled to be played from September 16 to 18.

Kairat advanced 10 years after Astana played in the old group stage as the only other Kazakh team to compete with the European elite.

Almaty is four time zones and thousands of kilometres east of potential opponents from England and Portugal.

Celtic, the 1967 European Cup winners, drop into the second-tier Europa League with Red Star and Sturm Graz, one year after all three played in the Champions League.

Celtic’s night ended in disappointment as Daizen Maeda failed with the decisive spot-kick. They face a 5,600km trip home from Kazakhstan ruing two dreadful 0-0 stalemates and a badly fluffed shoot-out.

“It’s hugely disappointing and I really feel for the supporters who have travelled all the way to be here, the effort and commitment they’ve shown to be here,” said Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers. “We’re bitterly disappointed for them as well as ourselves.”

The slugfest of a match went into extra time with neither side finding the net and few overall chances, echoing the first leg in Glasgow.

Celtic’s Luke McCowan went close to finding a winner in the 112th minute, but his close-range effort was brilliantly palmed away by Kairat goalkeeper Temirlan Anarbekov.

Japan forward Maeda was though on goal as full-time approached but sent a shot over the bar with just the ‘keeper to beat.

“We had good chances, especially in the second half,” Rodgers said. “When it goes to penalties, anything can happen,” he said.

Maeda missed after Celtic had been left reeling when Kairat’s 21-year-old keeper Anarbekov saved Adam Idah’s opening effort and then McCowan’s weak second one.

Celtic boss Rodgers blamed the quality of the pitch for his team’s failure to score, while the home side were cheered on in an electric atmosphere. “The pitch made it awful. We were defensively okay but couldn’t quite make the breakthrough,” Rodgers said.

Arne Engels and Callum McGregor converted their penalties but to no avail.

“They made it stuffy and credit to them, over the two games they defended really well,” said Celtic captain McGregor. “Over the two legs we didn’t do enough to hurt them.”

Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2025