Kairat 0-0 Celtic (aet, 0-0 agg, 3-2 pens): Anarbekov penalty heroics clinch historic Champions League spot
Kairat's 21-year-old goalkeeper, Temirlan Anarbekov, proved the hero as he sent his side into the Champions League for the first time.
Temirlan Anarbekov saved three penalties to clinch a 3-2 shootout win for Kairat after a 0-0 draw with Celtic, sending them into the Champions League for the first time.
Neither side could find a breakthrough over the two legs, and Celtic's wastefulness was punished as the Kazakh side made history in the play-offs on Tuesday.
It was a cagey start for both sides, though Kairat had the first clear opening when Ricardinho raced in behind Celtic's back line. Kasper Schmeichel raced out to smother it, though the offside flag was up.
Seconds later, James Forrest almost found a breakthrough with a thumping header from a corner, but Anarbekov brilliantly tipped it over the crossbar.
Six minutes after the break, Celtic gave away an indirect free-kick after a lapse in concentration saw Schmeichel pick up Callum McGregor's backpass. Jorginho's smashed shot from the set-piece struck Daizen Maeda, who survived a handball appeal.
The Japan international then had the chance to win it in the 86th minute; he raced forward on a blistering counter-attack, but from the edge of the box, he skied his effort, sending it over the crossbar.
Two minutes later, Ofri Arad rose high at the back post on a right-sided free-kick to nod an effort towards the bottom corner, but Schmeichel got down sharply to deny him.
Celtic tried and failed to find a way through in extra time, despite upping their level, and that would ultimately cost them. They stepped up first, but Adam Idah and Luke McCowan both saw their poor efforts saved by Anarbekov on either side of Valeri Gromyko's panenka crashing off the crossbar.
The next five spot-kicks were perfect, but with the pressure on Maeda to keep Celtic in the shootout, he also sent his effort too close to Anarbekov.
Data Debrief: Quality lacking in Almaty
Both legs of this Champions League qualifier were far from classics, but Kairat eventually got the job done in the shootout.
The sides posted a combined 0.16 expected goals (xG) in the first half, though Celtic eventually finished with 1.17 across 120 minutes, compared to Kairat's 0.58, with the hosts failing to have a shot in the second half of extra time.
In the end, that did not matter, thanks to 21-year-old Anarbekov, who made five saves in the second leg before capping his performance with three more in the shootout.
