Celtic and Kairat played out two complete games, and then 30 minutes of extra-time, but could not find the back of the net. The Hoops certainly had the better chances on the night in Kazakhstan, especially late on, but simply could not take them. As a result, penalties were needed to decide who would end up in the final.
Adam Idah was the first one to step up for Celtic and missed. One has to wonder why he was even given the first one, considering how devoid of confidence he has seemed all season. Luke McCowan then failed to convert the second one.
But it should not even have gotten to that point. Daizen Maeda was through on goal, one on one with the goalkeeper late on and simply could not convert. In fact, he could not even find the target. And he was heavily criticised by the fans, and understandably so.
To top it all off, Maeda missed the crucial penalty kick to send Celtic packing. One fan wrote: "Maeda has to have some serious words with himself. Looked like an amateur for 90% of the campaign so far. You can't keep getting away with misses like that as a professional."
'Amateur' - Celtic superstar slammed by fans after UCL exit
Another added: "How many one on ones with the keeper has Maeda missed in big games. So frustrating."
Then there are those who questioned Maeda's willingness to stay at Celtic: "Maeda playing like a man who doesn’t wanna be here… has been for weeks."
Now, this is a point we do not completely agree with. Maeda worked his socks off as always, tracking back even in the final minutes of the game. But the quality just seems to be missing at this point.
Another fan added: "I’d be happy to see Maeda gone especially after that display. Looks completely disinterested and he’s cost us with that chance. Turns out it was just a good 6 months he had last season."
This is something that probably has not been discussed enough. Yes, Maeda had a phenomenal run last season but other than that, he has never really been a prolific goalscorer for Celtic. In 71 games under the management of Ange Postecoglou, he scored just 19 times.
So, it is very possible that 24/25 form was just a purple patch. And it cannot be put down to a bad start to the campaign. He struggled in the last 7-8 games last season as well. His output has been questionable for a while.
At the end of the day, the club deserve their fair share of blame as well. The necessary additions should have been made by this point but they did not. One can only wonder why that was the case.
Celtic simply should not have found themselves in this position. But they have. And the worst thing is that it would not have come as a surprise to anybody. It has become that predictable.
Of course, this is a terrible result for Celtic. They should have easily gotten past Kairat, and yet, they were knocked out by the Kazakh side. And to be very honest, the Hoops did not deserve to go through. They just did not. Good luck and best wishes to the opposition. As for the Glasgow side, they need to have a hard look in the mirror.