SCAR TREK

Epic trip ends with epic embarrassment as Bren and Cal tell of pain for club and fans at missing out on more CL nights

- FROM MICHAEL GANNON IN ALMATY

BRENDAN RODGERS marched around the Central Stadium pitch before kickoff to salute the fans who'd made the mammoth trek across the world to roar on their team.

By the end he knew deep down their club had sold them short.

Rodgers picked his words carefully - as he always does - but the pain was etched all over his face.

When it was put to him that a huge part of the failure to get past a stubborn but limited Kairat over two legs to reach the Champions League, there was a sigh.

Or maybe a grimace.

This hurt. It hurt Rodgers personally because he knows it all could - and should have been so different.

Landing the Kazakh outfit in the draw was always going to be a stinker.

There's the journey, the time difference, the attitude and the junior quality pitch.

But it could also have been made a heck of a lot easier if Celtic had done their business when it was badly needed.

And in one of Rodgers’ quieter moments in his press conferences he cast his mind back to February, when Celtic pushed Bayern Munich all the way in the fight to reach the last 16.

This was a million miles away from the Allianz Arena.

Rodgers said: “I just wanted to show the appreciation. You can't underestimate the travel, the finance, the love of the club to be here so far away.

“It was just a gesture to say thank you, and obviously wanted to then put through on the pitch.

“We had opportunities, but over the two nights, it was always still in the balance.

“I think back to where we were last year in terms of speed, quality of football, dynamism and everything else.