Match Pictures | Matches: 2025 – 2026
Trivia
- KO: 17:45 UK time local time 21.45. Amazon TV
- Champions League Playoff 2nd leg of 2;
- Kairat won 3-2 on penalties, and go through, Celtic drop down to the Europa League.
- Ortalyk Stadion
- Dropping from the Champions League to the Europa League following their play-off defeat by Kairat will cost Celtic an estimated £11.5m.
- Sevco got humiliated 6-0 v Brugges the next night in their Champions League qualifier.
- Reports:
- Interest in Boca Juniors’ Uruguay left-back Marcelo Saracchi.
- Celtic representatives have flown to Belgium to meet with long-term target Michel-Ange Balikwisha. Reports claim that prolonged transfer agreed.
- Brendan Rodgers is Nottingham Forest’s number one target, while ex-Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has also been linked.
- Bolton Wanderers are not giving up on top transfer target Johnny Kenny and are planning one final bid to try and get a deal over the line for the Celtic striker.
Celtic’s interest in Dutch midfielder Calvin Stengs appears to have stalled, with Leicester City now moving into pole position to sign the Feyenoord man. They have dropped their interest in the feyenoord boy as they wanted 9m but with his injury record Celtic got this one right.
Celtic are considering a late move for Lorient forward Sambou Soumano.
Serie A club makes ‘contact’ with Celtic-linked Jamie Vardy - Transfers in: Kieran Tierney (free from Arsenal, 27 May 2025); Ross Doohan signed on a three-year deal. Isaac English from Morton; Benjamin Nygren undisclosed fee from Nordsjaelland (est €1.5/£1.3m); Callum Osmand development fee from Fulham; Hayato Inamura from Albirex Niigata fee £~250k; Shin Yamada est £1.2m from Kawasaki Frontal; Jahmai Simpson-Pusey from Man City, 1 year loan (no purchase option);
- Transfers out: Scott Bain released on a free, moved to Falkirk; Daniel Cummings (£300k, pre-contract signed last Jan with West Ham); Joey Dawson (free to Scunthorpe); Matt Anderson to KV Kortrijk (Belgium, Free); Maik Nawrocki year loan deal to German side Hannover 96 with purchase clause; Lagerbielke to Braga (est up to £2.7m with 10% sell on clause); Lenny Agbaire to Rotherham (free); Luis Palma to Lech Poznan on loan with purchase option; Kyle Ure to Ayr Utd on loan; Ben McPherson season-long loan move to Partick Thistle;
Summary
“It’s a feeble exit, it’s an embarrassing exit. It’s on the players, who were shocking. It’s on the manager, who was shocking. And it’s on the board. “
Journo Tom English
“We want to be in the Champions League. I value all the players that have performed really well for us up to this point. Apart from that first half on Wednesday when we were a bit passive in the game – which happens – we’re in a great place going over there. We have a great chance to go over there and qualify. There’s no doubt everyone can see where the gaps are in our squad and those aren’t filled, but the players here are more than capable of going and getting the result we want. The achievement is for the club and the players. It gives a real feelgood factor to everyone. We want to be at the highest level of European football and Champions League is that. We live for Celtic to be the very best and when you have those opportunities you want to take them.”
Prematch Brendan Rodgers
“Don’t worry about failing, worry about performance. If you think so much of the consequence, it can paralyse you.”
Prematch Brendan Rodgers
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers:
“We have to accept it. Congratulations to Kairat, it’s a fantastic result for them, but we missed a huge opportunity.
“I just want to show the appreciation [to the fans]. You can’t underestimate the travel, finance, the love of the club to be here. We wanted to go through on the pitch to say thank you, but it was always still in the balance. It’s a huge disappointment.
“I always think that investment is great, but investment in whatever you’re doing has to be at the right time. At this moment in time it’s a little bit raw.
“This group of players have given everything. We’re obviously limited to what we could do in the game in moments. The players gave everything, we just couldn’t find enough moments of quality.
“It’s very frustrating. We all know where we want to get to. We showed last year the strides I felt we took, but you have to build on that.
“The last thing you want to do in football is manufacture your own stress, but all we can do now is look at where we’re at as a football club and decide where we want to go.
“At this moment in time we can still have a very good season.”
“It was a poor game. It’s just a shame because last year we made some great strides.
“We had a hint of what we could do and this was a great opportunity for us to show what we could do and we won’t be there [in the Champions League].
“Plenty of endeavour, plenty of honesty, but the Champions League is more than that.
“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. We’re bitterly disappointed for them as well as ourselves.
“The Champions League is a wonderful competition, but as we always do we will have to stick together as a squad. It’s a tough one to take, but we didn’t do enough over the two legs.
“What I have in this group of players is I can’t fault them. From the first day back they’ve been brilliant. Domestically we’ve started well, but at this level, even with teams that don’t quite have the quality, you still need that little bit of extra finesse and precision.
“We obviously missed a big chance at home and tonight wasn’t a great game of football.”
Post-Match Brendan Rodgers
Highland__Paddy @Highland__paddy · 1h Every bit of criticism coming the way for the manager , coaching staff , players and the board is thoroughly deserved. The team has regressed spectacularly in 6 months with nothing done to halt it. To not score over these 2 games is horrendous. You reap what you sow.
Teams
Celtic
Manager: Brendan Rodgers
Formation: 4 – 3 – 3
01 K. Schmeichel
63 K. Tierney, subbed for D. Murray at 75mins
05 L. Scales
20 C. Carter-Vickers
56 A. Ralston, subbed for C. Donovan at 105mins
41 R. Hatate 101′ ET, Yellow Card at 101mins extra time, subbed for L. McCowan at 105mins
42 C. McGregor (c), Captain
08 B. Nygren
13 Yang Hyun-Jun, subbed for A. Idah at 70mins
38 D. Maeda
49 J. Forrest, subbed for A. Engels at 70mins
Subs:
51 C. Donovan
31 R. Doohan
27 A. Engels
28 Paulo Bernardo
09 A. Idah
24 J. Kenny
14 L. McCowan
47 D. Murray
19 C. Osmand
04 J. Simpson-Pusey
12 V. Sinisalo
18 S. Yamada
Goals:
Assists:
Kairat Almaty
Manager: Rafael Urazbakhtin
Formation: 4 – 2 – 3 – 1
77 T. Anarbekov
03 Luís Mata, subbed for O. Baybek at 119mins
80 E. Sorokin
14 A. Martynovich (c), Captain
20 E. Tapalov, subbed for J. Stanojev at 117mins
15 O. Arad
18 D. Glazer, subbed for D. Kasabulat at 64mins
55 V. Gromyko
07 Jorginho
24 A. Mrynskiy
99 Ricardinho, subbed for R. Bagdat at 80mins
Subs:
89 R. Bagdat
17 O. Baybek
81 I. Bekbolat
44 L. Gadrani
82 S. Kalmurza
04 D. Kasabulat
05 L. Kurgin
31 D. Reymov
06 A. Sadybekov
25 A. Shirobokov
33 J. Stanojev
87 A. Tuyakbayev
Goals:
Assists:
Referee Maurizio Mariani
Video Assistant Referee Marco Di Bello
Assistant Referee 1 Daniele Bindoni
Assistant Referee 2 Alberto Tegoni
Fourth Official Matteo Marchetti
Assistant VAR Official Valerio Marini
Venue:Ortalyq stadıon
Attendance:22,800
Articles
- Match Report (see below)
Pictures
Match Links
Stats
Overall possession
Kairat 33% Celtic 67%
Kairat 0.5843 Celtic 1.1683
Shots
Kairat 12 Celtic 11
Shots
Shots on target
Kairat 4 Celtic 5
Shots on target
Total touches inside the opposition box
Kairat 12 Celtic 21
Goalkeeper saves
Kairat 5 Celtic 3
Goalkeeper saves
Fouls committed
Kairat 12 Celtic 19
Fouls committed
Corners
Kairat 5 Celtic 7
Corners
In-depth match stats
Attack
Shots
Kairat 12 Celtic 11
Shots
Shots on target
Kairat 4 Celtic 5
Shots on target
Shots off target
Kairat 4 Celtic 2
Shots off target
Attempts out of box
Kairat 6 Celtic 6
Attempts out of box
Total offsides
Kairat 3 Celtic 0
Total offsides
Expected
Kairat 0.5843 Celtic 1.1683
xG from open play
Kairat 0.2104 Celtic 1.1511
xG from open play
xG from set play
Kairat 0.3739 Celtic 0.0172
xG from set play
Kairat 0.766317 Celtic 1.12855
Distribution
Total passes
Kairat 343 Celtic 720
Total passes
Pass accuracy %
Kairat 63.8 Celtic 83.3
Pass accuracy %
Backward passes
Kairat 49 Celtic 110
Backward passes
Forward passes
Kairat 160 Celtic 239
Forward passes
Total long balls
Kairat 83 Celtic 59
Total long balls
Successful final third passes
Kairat 65 Celtic 97
Successful final third passes
Total crosses
Kairat 27 Celtic 23
Total crosses
Defence
Total tackles
Kairat 36 Celtic 16
Total tackles
Won tackle %
Kairat 61.1 Celtic 68.8
Won tackle %
Fouls committed
Kairat 12 Celtic 19
Fouls committed
Total yellow cards
Kairat 0 Celtic 1
Total yellow cards
Total clearances
Kairat 51 Celtic 40
Total clearances
Clearances off the line
Kairat 0 Celtic 1
Clearances off the line
Articles
…
BBC pre match
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/live/ce93m7rrzzvt
Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter in Almaty
Champions League play-off: Kairat v Celtic (agg 0-0)
Venue: Central Stadium, Almaty Date: Tuesday, 26 August Time: 17:45 BST
Coverage: Listen on BBC Radio Scotland Extra & Sounds, live text commentary on the BBC Sport website & app
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has urged his players not to “worry about failing” in Tuesday’s decisive Champions League play-off match against Kairat in Almaty.
The sides are locked at 0-0 going into the return leg in Kazakhstan following last week’s first game in Glasgow.
Celtic have featured in the group stage or league phase of the past three Champions League tournaments, but did not have to play qualifiers or play-offs in those campaigns.
Rodgers’ side earned a reported £38m, external from last season’s run to the round of 16.
“I don’t need to explain it,” said Rodgers.
“Don’t worry about failing, worry about performance. If you think so much of the consequence, it can paralyse you.”
Rodgers dismissed any suggestion he had underestimated Kairat and insists “there’s no excuse for us” regarding the arduous 3,500-mile journey.
“We always respect every opponent,” said Rodgers. “We knew they were going to be a good side and hard to beat.
“We know they are really hard to beat, hard to break down and it’s up to us to impose our game. We never disrespect or underestimate any team.
“We have to play our game, play the football that we’ve played in a lot of the league games this year. If we take that into the game, then we’ve got a fantastic chance of qualification.
“They had the same journey going the other way so that won’t be an excuse for us.
“We have to perform and that’s all we’re focused on. I’m excited for us to play in a pressure game, knowing that we have to win. That’s what we want.”
Winger Marco Tilio has left Celtic to join Rapid Vienna and Rodgers revealed “there might be” movement into the club later in the week.
“By the time we get back, we’ll be close to one or two things,” he said.
Team news
Celtic right-back Alastair Johnston is out for around 12 weeks while defender Auston Trusty has also not travelled as he has a plantar fascia issue.
Forward Adam Idah missed the weekend win over Livingston but has made the trip to south-east Kazakhstan.
What they said
Kairat manager Rafael Urazbakhtin: “Celtic players may have underestimated us at home. Now they will look at our game in a different way. They will have a different motivation and attitude. Yes, there is a negative atmosphere around Celtic. They are used to dealing with such issues.
“They understand that everything depends on them. We also think that everything depends on us. I don’t think there is a bigger pressure on Celtic than on our home team. We will try to meet them and qualify for the group stage. And our task is to make it happen, to do everything we can.
“Celtic is a very good team. It’s a top-class team. Any player who is in there is a big threat to us. We shouldn’t concentrate on just one player. We will try to pay attention to everyone. We consider the whole team.”
Celtic defender Liam Scales: “It’s where we want to be. We want to play at the highest level. A lot of us have experienced that in the last couple of years. We know what’s at stake. Every team at this level is going to be good. We knew what was expected.”
An arduous trip worth the making?
BBC Scotland’s Brian McLauchlin on his journey to Kazakhstan
With few, if any, direct flights to Almaty from the UK, this was always going to be a long and tiring journey for any Celtic fan looking to follow their team as they seek another Champions League campaign.
Various routes, however, can be found. Frankfurt from either Edinburgh or Glasgow is one of those paths, before flying direct to Almaty with a total flight time of around 10 hours.
I travelled from Edinburgh via Istanbul, and after a three-hour stop over, it was off to Almaty. All in, the travel time was around 15 hours with arrival at 03:40 local time.
The temperatures during the day are mid 30s, hence the reason kick-off on Tuesday night is 21:45 to ensure the heat will have somewhat relented before the first whistle is blown.
The stadium capacity is about 23,000, and tickets were snapped up in just over an hour given the enormity of this game for Kairat.
Only a few hundred Celtic fans have made the near 8,500-mile round trip. A long way to come, but well worth it if Celtic are to make it through to the Champions League proper.
BBC
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/live/ce93m7rrzzvt?page=2#Report
At a glance
Adam Idah, Luke McCowan and Daizen Maeda all miss in penalty shootout
Celtic toil for most of the game with James Forrest header saved & Daizen Maeda blazing over late on before extra time
Bizarre indirect free-kick and penalty scare survived by Celtic
Jack Herrall
BBC Sport Scotland
Celtic blew the chance to reach the Champions League after an ignominious defeat in a penalty shootout away to Kairat Almaty as Brendan Rodgers’ side failed to score a goal in 210 minutes.
Substitute Adam Idah missed the first spot-kick, and home keeper Temirlan Anarbekov capped a fine display with further saves to deny Luke McCowan and, tellingly, Daizen Maeda.
It sealed a 3-2 outcome on penalties to send the Khazak side into the Champions League proper for the first time in their history.
Maeda had earlier blasted a late 85th-minute shot over the bar that would have ended the agony endured over two legs, with a powerful McCowan strike well stopped in extra time too.
The build-up to the game was dominated by Celtic’s listless showing in the first leg and lack of recruitment throught the summer, but the side did little to right that wrong for much of the second leg.
The first half saw Kasper Schmeichel and the offside flag deny Kairat in their fleeting ventures forward, while James Forrest’s header was smartly tipped over the bar. Both sides struggled to show any signs of attacking impetus as the first half, mercifully, drew to a close.
Rodgers opted to keep the same XI that started the game for the second period as he looked for a response from the players trusted to get the job done.
Despite reinforcements now seeming likely, the squad still looked uninspiring and without of a matchwinner as the riches of the Champions League hung in the balance.
As the tie slipped into the latter stages, a looping back pass from Callum McGregor had to be punched clear twice by Schmeichel, giving Kairat an indirect free-kick on the six-yard line.
It was blasted off of Maeda, with the hosts screaming for a penalty, but referee Maurizio Mariani waved away their spot-kick appeals.
Five minutes from full-time the best chance of the tie presented itself to Maeda as he raced on to the end of a well-weighted McGregor through-ball, but the forward couldn’t compose himself and blazed over the bar. The hearty band of Celtic supporters that made the trip were disconsolate.
Kairat tired as extra time started but Celtic still remained unable to find any sort of effective route to goal.
A sharp intake of breath followed McCowan’s saved shot as they continued to probe but failed to avoid the tension and lottery of a penalty shootout.
Idah stepped up first and had his effort saved, with Engels and McGregor the only two to convert on a grim night in Almaty.
New faces shouldn’t have been needed to progress: Celtic analysis
Murphy’s Law states that “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong”. That was the story of the tie for Celtic.
A turgid two-legged affair book ended what should have been a confidence-boosting win against Livingston at the weekend, but there were absolutely no signs of improvement from last Wednesday’s draw.
Idah started last week’s fixture and looked ineffective at best, but dropping him tonight left Celtic without a focal point in a traditional number nine role.
The starting front three this evening of Forrest, Yang, and Maeda were toothless and offered no encouragement or inspiration for their team-mates.
Too many long balls were shelled forward in hope rather than accuracy, too many heavy touches and back passes told the story of a side whose confidence was draining as the game went on.
Much will continue to be made of Celtic’s lack of recruitment, but it is undeniable that they should have had enough on the park to progress in the tie.
Questions over new signings and backing from the board are becoming a regular thing for Rodgers at press conferences now, but the failure to see off a lesser side in Kairat with the squad at his disposal must be questioned, too.
UCL play-off disappointment for Celts as they lose penalty shoot-out
https://www.celticfc.com/news/2025/august/26/ucl-play-off-disappointment-for-celts-as-they-lose-penalty-shoot-out/
First Team
By Matthew Campbell
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26 Aug 2025, 8:36 pm
UEFA Champions League play-off
Tuesday, August 26, 2025
Central Stadium, Almaty
FC KAIRAT…0
CELTIC…0
FC Kairat win 3-2 on penalties
Celtic were defeated by FC Kairat in Kazakhstan tonight in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League play-off round, with the home side winning the match on penalties to progress to the league phase of the tournament.
Inspired by the electric atmosphere their fans were generating within the Cental Stadium, FC Kairat carved out the first chance of the evening early in the match, when Valeri Gromyko tried his luck from the edge of the box, but his effort crept just wide of the post.
Celtic’s first chance came with 25 minutes gone, when a perfectly-weighted cross from Reo Hatate found James Forrest six yards out from goal, but the winger’s header was well-saved by the Kairat keeper.
Celtic controlled much of the possession throughout the first 45 minutes as they searched for a way through FC Kairat’s resolute defence, but, like last week’s match at Celtic Park, chances were few and far between for the Hoops.
With just moments remaining in the first period, and with the Celts still dominating the play, Callum McGregor unleashed a strike from outside the box which looked like it was on a trajectory towards goal, but an FC Kairat defender was able to block the ball and keep the score level going in to the break.
33%
Possession
67%
12
Shots
11
4
Shots On Target
5
5
Corners
7
12
Fouls
19
0
0
Cards
1
0
Celtic started the second half with intent, and a strong challenge from Callum McGregor allowed Benjamin Nygren to advance in to a shooting position with the ball, but Kairat once again showed their resilience and forced the ball clear before the Swede could get his shot away.
Moments later, Celtic had to defend an indirect free-kick after Kasper Schmeichel had to use his hands to prevent a pass back from Callum McGregor ending up in the net, but Daizen Maeda bravely got his body in the way of Kairat’s shot from the set piece and the score remained 0-0.
Five minutes from the end of the 90 minutes, Maeda had a huge opportunity to send Celtic through when he was sent through one-on-one with the goalkeeper after a great pass from Callum McGregor. However, the Japanese forward’s effort went over the bar from the edge of the penalty area.
Moments later, Kasper Schmeichel had to make a big save to deny Ofri Arad who had broken free from Celtic’s defence and had a header on goal at the back post.
With the score locked at 0-0, the match headed to extra-time, and early in the first period, Adam Idah picked out Reo Hatate in the box. The midfielder sent a shot towards goal but an FC Kairat defender was able to block the shot just yeards out from goal.
Benjamin Nygren was next to have a shot on target when he pulled the trigger from the edge of the area, forcing a good save from Kairat’s keeper.
At half time in extra-time, Luke McCowan was brought on for Reo Hatate, and shortly after the restart, he saw an effort from inside the box saved by the keeper just when it looked like he had given Celtic the lead.
Celtic had Kairat on the back foot throughout the second period of extra-time, but the home side had their keeper to thank for keeping them in the tie, as he produced another two big saves to deny Benjamin Nygren.
The match was decided by penalties, with FC Kairat ultimately securing their place in the UEFA Champions League with a 3-2 win in the shoot-out.
Kairat: Anarbekov, Tapalov (Stanojev 117′), Martynovich, Sorokin, Luís Mata (Baybek 119′), Glazer (Kasabulat 64′), Arad, Mrynskiy, Jorginho, Gromyko, Ricardinho (Bagdat 80′)
Subs: Kasabulat, Kurgin, Sadybekov, Baybek, Shirobokov, Reymov, Stanojev, Gadrani, Bekbolat, Kalmurza, Tuyakbayev, Bagdat
Celtic: Schmeichel, Ralston (Donovan 105′), Carter-Vickers, Scales, Tierney (Murray 75′), Nygren, McGregor, Hatate (McCowan 105′), Forrest (Engels 70′), Maeda, Hyunjun Yang (Idah 70′)
Subs: Simpson-Pusey, Idah, Sinisalo, McCowan, Yamada, Osmand, Kenny, Engels, Paulo Bernardo, Doohan, Murray, Donovan
…
Manager’s reaction after Champions League exit
https://www.celticfc.com/news/2025/august/26/manager-s-reaction-after-champions-league-exit/
First Team
By Paul Cuddihy, Celtic View Editor
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26 Aug 2025, 9:50 pm
Celtic’s Champions League aspirations came to an end in Kazakhstan tonight (Tuesday) following a penalty shoot-out defeat to FC Kairat.
After both legs had finished goal-less, the tie was decided with penalties, and it was the Kazakh side who came out on top to progress to the league phase of the UCL. Celtic will now drop into the Europa League.
And speaking to Celtic TV after the match Brendan Rodgers explained that he was bitterly disappointed at the UCL exit.
“We had a really big opportunity in these two games, but if you don’t score the goals, which we haven’t done over the two games, then Kairat, with the greatest respect, are playing for that moment at the end,” the Celtic manager said.
“So congratulations to them. They’re through but, of course, we’re hugely disappointed.
“Over the two games, really disappointed with the first-half of the first game. We wanted to take a lead to here but we didn’t play well enough and show enough quality and the things you need to do to win the game.
“In this game here, the questions that are asked of you – the pitch was very difficult and I think you saw the quality of the football was at a really low level, I felt, but we still had chances and didn’t quite take them, and when you don’t, you run the risk of going to penalties, and sadly for us it’s another tie that we’ve lost on penalties.
“This is bitterly disappointing and however it went tonight, it was always going to be a big game for us at the weekend, so there’s not a lot you can say to the players now. They’re hugely disappointed.
“There was lots of endeavour, lots of honesty in the performance but we just didn’t have that bit of quality to break them down.
“So now we get back tomorrow morning, but we’ll just have to get ourselves ready now because it’s a huge game for us on Sunday.”