UEFA Champions League play-off: Astana 4-3 Celtic | Celtic wins 8-4 on aggregate

REACTION: Brendan Rodgers | Scott Brown

Celtic survived a storming second-half comeback from Astana to reach the group stage of the UEFA Champions League despite a 4-3 defeat in Kazakhstan on Wednesday.

Brendan Rodgers' side needed a stoppage-time penalty from Moussa Dembele to defeat the same opponent in the third qualifying round last year, but a repeat of such a nervy finish seemed unlikely this time around thanks to a 5-0 first-leg advantage.

After Kristoffer Ajer's own goal, the third of the tie after Astana twice put through its own net at Celtic Park, any hope of an unlikely comeback from the host was seemingly extinguished when Scott Sinclair levelled brilliantly with a curling effort from the edge of the box.

However, Astana had its visitors firmly on the back foot with two quick-fire strikes through Serikzhan Muzhikov and Patrick Twumasi to open the second period and bring the stadium to a deafening roar.

Twumasi then took advantage of some awful defending to leave Astana needing three more in little more than 20 minutes, but it failed to take numerous opportunities and Olivier Ntcham and Leigh Griffiths calmed Celtic fears in the final 10 minutes to secure an 8-4 aggregate win, the highest aggregate scoreline in UEFA Champions League play-off history and a result which on paper did not tell the thrilling story of this second leg.

One outstanding positive for Rodgers's men was Sinclair's sumptuous goal, which took his tally in qualifying to five, and his early-season form has helped to ensure the absence of Dembele — out with a hamstring injury — has hardly been felt.

Dembele scored 32 times last season and is a target of Marseille, which confirmed its interest in the striker late on Tuesday (AEST).

Despite a commanding advantage, Celtic made just two changes from the first leg and, far from resting on its laurels, was the first to threaten in the 16th minute, as Callum McGregor played in Sinclair, whose effort was charged down by Evgeny Postnikov.

McGregor stung the palms of Nenad Eric with a rasping drive soon afterwards, but it was Astana that opened the scoring against the run of play in the 26th minute.

Dmitri Shomko was allowed to advance into space on the left before unleashing a shot that was flying wide until Ajer stuck out a leg and diverted it beyond the wrong-footed Craig Gordon.

Celtic was only briefly behind, however, and it was Sinclair who proved Astana's scourge once more, cutting in on his right foot and steering a fabulous effort beyond Eric into the far corner.

Gordon's fine fingertip save from Marin Anicic's header preserved parity on the night shortly before half-time and Astana came out with renewed vigour after the break, scoring twice inside four minutes.

Scott Brown's inadvertent flick-on fell perfectly for Muzhikov to poke home and almost immediately Twumasi was left all alone to nod in Shomko's left-wing cross.

Celtic appeared to have weathered that storm but, and the introduction of Australia's Tom Rogic certainly helped it to maintain possession better than at any other time in the match.

But after Griffiths blazed over an excellent chance, Astana moved upfield again and Twumasi was allowed to run unchallenged into the box and squeeze another effort past Gordon at the near post.

Astana was suddenly rampant again and Gordon had to save from Twumasi, Muzhikov and Ivan Maevski in the space of a minute before Twumasi rifled a gilt-edged opportunity over.

He would be left to rue that miss as Ntcham and Griffiths finally ended Astana's lingering hopes to confirm Celtic's place in Friday's (AEST) draw.