Viktor Kumykov, the coach of Shakhter Karagandy, dreams of creating a footballing legacy for the people of Kazakhstan by reaching the group stages.
Kumykov's side are bidding to becoming the first Kazakh club to reach the Champions League group stages and are well-placed after recording a shock 2-0 first-leg win over Celtic last Tuesday. The consequences of holding on to that advantage in Glasgow, and adding the Scottish champions to a list of victims that includes Belarusian's BATE Borisov and KS Skenderbeu of Albania would be significant for the Asian nation.
"It would be considered a huge and fantastic advancement," insisted Kumykov. "First of all for Kazakh football, it will be testimony that it is developing in the right direction. For Shakhter it will also be a great success and we believe it will be Shakhter's good contribution in the development of Kazakh football.
"Local and regional residents support the club and celebrate the successes of the team with pleasure. Our every success, both in domestic tournaments and in Europe, is hugely welcomed. This evokes great enthusiasm from the local residents."
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