In the second leg of a Champions League play-off match, Kairat eliminated Celtic via a penalty shootout, successfully qualifying for the Champions League group stage.
With this victory, Kairat secured a spot in the Champions League group stage for the first time in the club’s history, and their journey to this point has been fraught with challenges.
Kairat’s Champions League campaign this season began in the first round of qualifying – making them the only team this season to progress from this initial stage all the way to the Champions League group stage.
In the first round of qualifying, Kairat first drew 1-1 away to Olimpija Ljubljana in the first leg, then claimed a 2-0 home win in the second leg to advance.
In the second round, Kairat suffered a 2-0 away defeat to KuPS in the first leg, but staged a brilliant comeback in the home second leg, beating the opponent 3-0 to move on to the third round.
Their third-round opponent was Slovan Bratislava – the team that had advanced from the first round of qualifying to the group stage last season. Kairat won 1-0 at home in the first leg; although they lost 0-1 away in the second leg, they ultimately eliminated Slovan Bratislava via a penalty shootout to reach the play-offs.
Facing Scottish giants Celtic in the play-offs, few gave Kairat a chance of qualifying. However, they held on tenaciously to a 0-0 aggregate draw over two legs, advanced via another penalty shootout, and finally secured their place in the Champions League group stage.
