Celtic have plenty of work to do to reach the league phase of the Champions League after drawing a blank in a 0-0 first-leg draw of their play-off against Kazakh side Kairat Almaty at Parkhead. Much of the build-up to the game was centred on if and when manager Brendan Rodgers would further bolster his squad for the European campaign, but there were no late signings.
It was a frustrating night for the Hoops and in the second half fans, also frustrated by a lack of transfer activity, chanted sack the board and aimed their ire at chief executive Michael Nicholson and chairman Peter Lawwell, while there were further chants and boos after the game.
How the teams lined up | StatsGot Sky? Watch now on the Sky Sports app 📱 Not got Sky? Get instant access with no contract 📺Rodgers said: I think it was pretty clear. You didnt need to look into the future too far.
You know these games are tough games and you want to have your best players in and have players in as quick as you can to tackle these sorts of situations. But listen, it is what it is and I just have to accept where its at and well now get ready for Saturday and then the long haul on Sunday.
Then well try and get through on Tuesday. Asked about the fans reaction, the Northern Irishman said: I do know that, over many years, sack the board normally means sack the manager. Its normally the manager that goes when that starts to be sung.
I can only really look at the players we have here, and the performance. Weve known for a long time what weve needed as a squad, so I dont want to go into that. Of course, at the end of the game, were having to shuffle things about to try and make it work.
The players are out of position, but the players endeavour in the second half was really good. We need to improve the squad. There was clarity around that for a long time. So we see that. I think supporters see that.
We certainly do in football. We need to improve. This is a performance club. This is a club that has to perform. And that starts on the field. You do that with getting the very best players you possibly can to allow you to perform.
How Celtic failed to break down Kairat In Rodgers 800th match as a manager, there was no traditional early onslaught by the Hoops as the accomplished Kazakh champions more than matched their hosts. However, with Hyun-Jun Yang on for Adam Idah and Daizen Maeda moving to centre forward at the start of the second half, Celtic stepped up the pace and piled on the pressure in the later stages, but could not find a way through despite 10 added minutes.
After Saturdays home Scottish Premiership game against Livingston, Celtic will get ready for the return leg in Kazakhstan next Tuesday night, which involves a 7,000-mile round trip, knowing qualification requires perhaps more work than many anticipated.
But Kairat will be without 17-year-old Chelsea-bound Dastan Satpayev for the return leg after he was booked in stoppage time to earn a suspension. The visitors settled early, and in the 11th minute, captain Aleksandr Martynovich had the ball in the Hoops net from close range but was offside.
With Satpayev influential, Kairat attacked fluidly and at pace on the counter, dampening the mood of the expectant home support. In the 32nd minute, Celtic defender Alastair Johnston pulled up with what looked like a hamstring injury as he backtracked and was taken from the field on a stretcher, replaced by Anthony Ralston.
Moments later, Kairat goalkeeper Alexandr Zarutskiy saved from Maeda when Celtic at last got through, but at the other end Ofri Arad’s powerful drive flew just wide of Schmeichel’s post. Within a minute of Yang coming on, he set up James Forrest, whose shot was touched onto a post and then gathered by Zarutskiy.
In the 58th minute, after some sloppiness by Carter-Vickers in the Hoops defence, Brazilian striker Edmilson tried a speculative shot from 40 yards and it landed on the roof of Schmeichel’s goal.
In stoppage time, Celtics Maeda spurned a chance when he ran through alone and could only manage a tame shot which was easily saved, and there were boos at the end from irate supporters. McGregor: Players felt anxious Celtic Park Celtic captain Callum McGregor speaking to TNT Sports: In the first half, we never had enough intensity in the game.
We were too slow, too passive, with and without the ball, and that gives them a bit of encouragement in the game and makes the place anxious, and then it sort of snowballs from there. But in the second half, we started the half really well.
We were on the front foot for the whole second half. We just lacked that bit of quality to get the goal to open the game up. On whether the crowds anxiety came through: Not for the group. Weve been playing really well.
We dont start the game well, and thats where the anxiety is, because we know how much everyone wants it. Everyone wants to be in the Champions League, so when that starts to fester through the stadium, of course, then the players feel it.
But its our job to try and work that out and keep playing. Rodgers: We were on autopilot in the first half Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers speaking to TNT Sports: I think when you play at home at this stage and at this level, then of course we want to take an advantage.
We didnt do that, but Ive also been here before in a qualification game. We drew 0-0 here with Rosenborg here a few years back and went on and played really well in the away leg, so were going to have to do that out there, but well certainly need to play better than what we did in the first half.
In the first half, we were very passive and lacked belief, and we were slow. Everything that has been good in our game up until this point wasnt there. The second half was much better, but we just lacked that little bit of quality in the final third.
On the poor first half: I just felt that we werent thinking so much in the game. We were just on autopilot a little bit and lost the connections in the game and the speed. Didnt move well enough as a team.
So we had to correct that at half-time, and we had a much better response right from the off in the second half. And then hit the post and a couple of other little moments where we were close, but we just lacked that little bit of quality that you need to break them down.
