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I missed Celtic's most expensive penalty kick and now have a Champions League score to settle Luke McCowan has opened up on last season's heartache at the hands of Kazakh minnows Kairat Almaty It felt like the eyes of the world were fixed on Luke McCowan as he walked towards one of the most expensive penalties in Celtic's history. With millions of fans tuned in across the globe - plus friends and family watching from behind their sofas - the ex-Dundee midfielder had the courage to put himself forward for a moment that would shape the season. After 210 goalless minutes against Kairat Almaty, McCowan stepped up with the Hoops' Champions League dream hanging by a thread after Adam Idah's opening spotkick had been saved. But as he faced rookie keeper Temirlan Anarbekov, his world came crashing down. McCowan's effort was kept out. The lifelong fan was left shattered as Daizen Maeda's later miss sealed a disastrous exit at the hands of rank outsiders and sent £40million up in smoke. Now, as Martin O'Neill's side gear up for another winner-takes-all showdown with LASK, McCowan is desperate to avoid another nerve-shredding shootout. He said: "Thanks for reminding me! That was one of the toughest moments I've had. It was a huge deal not just for Celtic, but for my career. "Coming onto the pitch, I had the chance in the game, then having the chance to score a penalty was a bit disappointing, even though I'd scored one in the Scottish Cup final. "Hopefully this year we don't get it to that stage, we try and get the game done in normal time. "It just needs both performances in both legs. It comes with huge pressure. Getting in the Champions League is never easy. As a club and as a team, we want to be there." For a while, McCowan felt he had let everyone down. In reality, Celtic had two legs to finish off the lowest-ranked side in the competition. He said: "I work with a mental coach, JJ. I messaged him right away after the penalty, saying, 'This is so, so hard', as it was. "But it's just about putting yourself out there again. And putting yourself into the next training session like, 'Right, forget about it, it's done, just go and push onto the next game'. "Obviously, we went into the league, and game after game after game just comes along, and you just need to move on, switch the lightbulb, play again, and just know you're a good player. "If you get in that moment and have to take a penalty again, you step up and be the man. "You can be as mentally strong as you want, but if you miss a penalty in a Champions League qualifier, it's the hardest thing. "But it's more trying to just get over it, extending the experience probably helped – how you talk, how you deal with it, how you speak to people around you. "Okay, you missed a penalty – the best players in the world miss a penalty, so be it. Just move on and move to the next match and the next training session." Despite the agony, McCowan insists he'd have no hesitation putting his hand up if another defining penalty came his way. He said: "If it comes, it comes. If I need to be in that situation again, I know I'm confident enough and technically good enough to go and score and hopefully put it away." McCowan grew up watching Celtic topple some of Europe's biggest names as a supporter. Now he wants to experience magical Champions League nights as a player after being left on the bench for all five home ties in 2024/25. The 28-year-old said: "The one that stands out a mile is Tony Watt against Barca. I can't even remember the other teams in the group that year! That's your standout moment. "It was mostly when I was young, I'd go to the games. As I got older, I tried to focus on my football, and ended up going to Greenock Morton, because you snuck in! "The Tony Watt one was the massive one for me. Liverpool, John Hartson, I remember watching that, the Alan Thompson free-kick as well. "There are a few games you can look back on, it's nice. I wasn't at the games. You probably just couldn't afford going to the Champions League games. "My dad wasn't a season ticket holder. You'd just watch it in the house on the TV and it'd be the Saturday and Sunday games you'd get to go to. "It was nice watching that, and to experience the music two years ago now was incredible, and hopefully do the same this year." The Europa League wasn't where Celtic wanted to be after last season's qualifying heartbreak. But McCowan's winner against Stuttgart to secure the club's first-ever victory on German soil convinced him he can cut it against Europe's elite. He added: "That was huge for me. We played Feyenoord as well, that was my first time starting in Europe. "That's what I wanted to do – after we got knocked out of the Champions League in the qualifiers, I said to myself I want to start in Europe. "And being able to start against Feyenoord and Stuttgart – both games we won away from home as well – was huge for me in terms of trying to show that you can get to that level and play in games that are that size. "I was lucky enough to get on the scoresheet against Stuttgart and win.”