Celtic suffered a third consecutive defeat in the Europa League as Celta Vigo staged a rapid second-half comeback to claim a 2-1 victory at Celtic Park. Despite taking the lead shortly after halftime, the Scottish club surrendered two goals in three minutes, remaining as one of four teams in the 36-club table yet to register a point.
Quick Double Turns Match Around
The host had initially taken control early in the second half when Mika Baur swept home a deflected delivery from Haissem Hassan in the 47th minute. Celtic came close to doubling its lead in the 63rd minute, but defender Liam Scales saw his header from another Hassan cross crash against the crossbar.
That missed opportunity proved costly as Celta Vigo responded quickly. In the 68th minute, Javi Rodriguez met a free-kick to head past Celtic goalkeeper Sam Johnstone. Just four minutes later, Rodriguez struck again, capitalizing on a failed clearance to fire a powerful drive into the net from outside the penalty area.
Frustration and Penalty Appeals
Before the second-half drama, Celtic had felt aggrieved by refereeing decisions in the first period. Midway through the opening half, Callum Osmand went down following a push from Javi Rueda near the edge of the penalty area, but the referee declined to award a foul, leading to a yellow card for Camilo Duran due to his protests.
Both sides created opportunities throughout the opening period. Celtic’s Colby Donovan and Mika Baur made important clearances to block dangerous attempts from Rueda and Iago Aspas, while Johnstone denied Ferran Jutgla shortly before halftime. Late in the match, James Forrest set up Donovan, but his low-powered effort was easily handled by the Celta goalkeeper.
O’Neill Maintains Hope Despite European Defeats
The result marks Celtic’s fourth consecutive defeat in European competition, contrasting with its domestic form where the club holds a four-point lead over Rangers at the top of the Scottish Premiership following a recent 7-1 win over Hearts. Reporting from Celtic Park for Sky Sports, commentator Luke Shanley noted that Celta Vigo created more chances and deserved the win, describing the quick double as a heavy setback for the home side.
Speaking after the match, Celtic manager Martin O’Neill reflected on the turning points in the contest. “Where did it all go wrong? Well, we hit the bar with the header, we could have gone 2-0 in front. I think if we had done that we’d probably have won, but forget ifs, buts and maybes, we conceded a goal from a set piece,” O’Neill said. He added that the squad lost momentum following the equalizer before conceding what he called a “blinding shot” for Celta’s second goal.
Despite the poor start to the group stage, O’Neill expressed confidence that his team can still recover. “I haven’t looked at the table, but I was told roughly that there’s still a lot of points to play for,” the manager stated, adding that his squad remains capable of securing victories both at home and away. Celtic returns to domestic action on Sunday when it travels to face Hibernian at Easter Road.
Source: SkySports | News
