Celtic suffered their third consecutive defeat in the Europa League after falling to a 2-1 loss against Celta Vigo, leaving the Scottish champions 35th out of 36 teams in the competition standings. Only Ararat-Armenia and their inferior goal difference keep Martin O’Neill’s side off the bottom of the table following another European collapse.
Disparity Between Domestic and European Form
The defeat arrived just days after Celtic thrashed Hearts 7-1 on Sunday, briefly raising hopes that the team had turned a corner. Instead, the match laid bare the ongoing disparity between their domestic dominance and their European shortcomings.
After Mika Baur swept Celtic in front in the 47th minute, the team retreated defensively and succumbed to a timid defeat as Javi Rodriguez struck twice in the span of three minutes.
Celtic initially looked set for the Champions League this season after taking a 4-0 aggregate lead against Austrian champions LASK in the play-off round, before conceding five goals in 77 minutes to drop into the Europa League. O’Neill’s side have now lost their last four European matches, conceding 14 goals in the process—a feat previously matched in the same season only during the 2017-18 Champions League campaign.
Pundit and Player Reactions
Former Scotland attacker James McFadden stated on Sportsound that Celtic’s performances at this level have fallen short. He added that the team struggles with adversity, noting that confidence drops and players stop playing forward when things go against them, instead inviting pressure.
Following the match, O’Neill pointed to marginal moments that went against his team, citing a free-kick that was not awarded to Celtic immediately before Celta’s equalizer, as well as a Liam Scales header that clipped the top of the crossbar when the score was 1-0. O’Neill noted that conceding the free-kick knocked his side’s confidence and gave their opponents momentum, adding that the team still has a chance to progress if they can win their remaining matches.
Centre-back Liam Scales recorded the most touches for Celtic with 121, well ahead of left-back Kieran Tierney with 79 and goalkeeper Sam Johnstone with 69. Goalscorer Baur admitted that his team did not do enough to win and struggled to explain why the team collapsed in the second half, acknowledging that they failed to regain control or hold the ball longer to quiet the opponent’s momentum.
Former Celtic goalkeeper Pat Bonner told Sportsound that Celtic are not good enough individually and collectively to face a side eighth in La Liga. He noted that Celta moved the ball well while Celtic could not get close to them.
Celtic will attempt to reverse their continental struggles when they host Besiktas on 5 November.
Source: BBC Sport
