Birmingham crashed out of the Europa League despite a 1-0 victory over NK Maribor thanks to Adam Rooney's first-half header.
The Blues will be disappointed to exit the competition after gaining three wins and a draw, but Braga's failure to defeat Club Brugge meant that they finished third on 10 points.
Chris Hughton's men dominated their Slovenian opponents from the first whistle and although Rooney grabbed the goal, teenager Nathan Redmond stole the show.
The 17-year-old winger lit up St Andrews on a dreary winter evening with an array of flicks, tricks and fancy footwork and although his manager urged fans and pundits to be cautious with their praise for him, it was difficult not to get excited about the potential of the young man.
It was no surprise that he provided the ball for Rooney's goal, bamboozling the full-back on the right wing before whipping in an inch perfect cross that the former Stoke man cushioned into the net.
Redmond also hit the inside of the post late on in the match with a stunning volley that would have been one of the best goals of the competition, had it of gone in.
He was withdrawn to the sound of a standing ovation when he had to leave the field with cramp two minutes from time.
The only reason the home side failed to add a more emphatic look to the scoreline was the wastefulness of Nikola Zigic.
The Serbian giant missed a number of chances including a one-on-one with keeper Jasmin Handanovic and a back-post header where he should have done better, but in the end it mattered not as Birmingham held on.
Maribor are 15 points ahead in their domestic league, and also knocked Rangers out of Europe in the summer but they offered nothing in this match, only threatening the goal once from a corner.
They finished bottom of the group with a solitary point, which does not say much for the quality of Slovenian domestic football.
Brum will be proud of their efforts despite bowing out at the group stage, in what was an unusual case of a team from the second tier playing in continental competition thanks to their Carling Cup triumph last season.
All eyes must now turn to their nPower Championship campaign where they are attempting to bounce back from relegation at the first time of asking.
