Gustaf Lagerbielke emerged as the unexpected savior for Celtic, as they finally broke their streak of not winning a Champions League match in a nail-biting finish against Feyenoord at Parkhead.
In the 33rd minute, Luis Palma scored a penalty to give the home team the lead, following a foul on the impressive Liam Scales. However, the Dutch champions equalized in the 82nd minute through Yankuba Minteh.
However Lagerbielke, on as a substitute, headed home his first Celtic goal in stoppage time on his first appearance since September to secure a 2-1 victory. The Sweden centre-back nodded in from close range following Matt O’Riley’s exquisite cross as Celtic maintained pressure following a corner.
Celtic secured their first victory in the Champions League group stage in 16 games, dating back to six years ago when they defeated Anderlecht under Brendan Rodgers’s previous leadership. This was also their first win at home since October 2013 when they beat Ajax. The thrilling conclusion brought energy to the previously subdued home fans and also helped Celtic, who were at the bottom of Group E, to double their total points from last season.
Stephen Welsh was in the Celtic lineup for the first time since he sustained an ankle injury four months ago, while Kyogo Furuhashi started after two substitute appearances. Mikey Johnston and Tomoki Iwata were handed their third starts in a row, but the Japanese midfielder lasted only 19 minutes before injury forced him off for Paulo Bernardo.
Feyenoord were unable to secure a position higher than third and as a result, they made five alterations to their team. Despite this, their loyal fans showed strong support, with some away supporters even present in the home sections. The absence of the vocal Green Brigade group, who are still banned by Celtic, and the lack of stakes in the game were evident as the visitors from Rotterdam sang chants such as “Shall we sing a song for you?” to highlight the dull atmosphere among the hosts.
In the first quarter, both teams were able to penetrate the defense. Furuhashi was stopped by Justin Bijlow after being passed through by Scales. Santiago Giménez’s goal was disallowed due to an offside call after getting past Joe Hart, and the goalkeeper made a diving save when the Mexican striker received a long pass.
Celtic scored the first goal when Ramiz Zerrouki committed a foul on Scales while Feyenoord was defending a corner. The away team strongly protested, but the French referee Benoît Bastien did not require VAR to see the violation and video replays confirmed his call. Palma remained composed and successfully converted the penalty amidst the commotion.
Celtic managed to weather numerous close calls before halftime. Goalkeeper Hart once again made an impressive save just before Callum McGregor cleared the ball off the goal line. In addition, Lutsharel Geertruida struck the post from a short distance after Feyenoord successfully broke through their defense.
In the beginning of the second half, Palma had a great chance to score again when Alistair Johnston’s pass reached the back post, but Bijlow managed to block it with his foot.
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Hart made two additional successful saves before Celtic gained more dominance in the game. Rodgers substituted Welsh with Lagerbielke and 17-year-old left-back Mitchel Frame made his first appearance on the wing after Palma suffered a facial injury and was substituted in the 75th minute.
The opposing team scored when Minteh received the ball on the left side and had enough room to shoot from 10 yards. Celtic was saved from falling behind by two saves from Hart and a block from Scales before McGregor hit the crossbar with a shot from 30 yards.
Celtic seemed to be facing another unlucky outcome until Lagerbielke’s goal ignited excitement, causing some fans to run onto the field in celebration. One fan’s actions elicited a heated reaction from Rodgers, who ran to the sidelines to scold the fan while stewards escorted them away.
A save by Hart and a block by Johnston kept Celtic in the lead before another chaotic scramble in front of the goal before the game ended.
Source: theguardian.com
