Celtic's journey to the Champions League group stage faced a significant hurdle as they were held to a frustrating draw against a tenacious Kairat Almaty in the first leg of their playoff tie at Celtic Park. Despite dominating possession and creating numerous chances, the Scottish champions were unable to break down a resolute Kairat defense, leaving the tie finely balanced ahead of the return leg in Kazakhstan.
The match, which marked Brendan Rodgers' 800th as a manager, did not see the early, dominant performance from Celtic that many expected. Instead, Kairat proved to be a well-organized and technically gifted side, more than capable of matching their hosts. The Kazakh champions demonstrated confidence and a clear game plan aimed at frustrating Celtic, disrupting their rhythm, and securing a valuable result to take back home.
Kairat even had the ball in the net in the 11th minute through captain Aleksandr Martynovich, but it was ruled out for offside. The visitors' attacking threat was evident, particularly on the counter-attack, where the 17-year-old Chelsea-bound forward Dastan Satpayev proved to be a handful for the Celtic defense.
Rodgers made six changes to his starting lineup, bringing in players such as Kasper Schmeichel, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Liam Scales, Reo Hatate, Benjamin Nygren, and Adam Idah. However, even with the fresh legs, Celtic struggled to find their usual fluency in the first half.
In the second half, Rodgers introduced Yang Hyun-jun in place of Adam Idah, shifting Daizen Maeda to centre-forward. This tactical tweak injected some much-needed pace and urgency into Celtic's attack. The home side upped the tempo and began to exert more sustained pressure on the Kairat goal. Despite creating several opportunities, including a number of near misses and desperate clearances, Celtic were unable to find the breakthrough. Kairat's goalkeeper and defense stood firm, repelling every attack with determination.
The match was played with high intensity, and the referee added 10 minutes of stoppage time. However, even with the additional minutes, Celtic could not find a way to unlock the Kairat defense.
The result leaves Celtic with plenty of work to do in the second leg, which will be played next Tuesday in Kazakhstan. The 7,000-mile round trip and the potentially hostile conditions in Almaty will add to the challenge. Celtic will need to be more clinical in front of goal and find a way to break down Kairat's stubborn defense if they are to progress to the Champions League League Phase.
Speaking after the match, Rodgers acknowledged the quality of the opposition and the need for improvement in the second leg. He expressed confidence in his team's ability to rise to the occasion and secure qualification.
Celtic will play Livingston at home in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday before travelling to Kazakhstan.
