Celtic came from behind to beat Rennes in the Europa League tonight with two goals from Anthony Stokes and a late finish from Gary Hooper. Rennes took the lead after 85 seconds when Kader Mangane converted a corner with a fine header.
Rennes pushed forward from kick-off and Julien Feret’s bullet corner kick evaded Victor Wanyama. This in turn deceived Daniel Majstorovic allowing Mangane to meet the ball and redirect it into the top corner of the goal.
Losing the early goal direct from a corner, for the second time in four Europa League games, seemed to sap Celtic’s confidence as Rennes pushed forward with confidence in the opening 30 minutes. During this period Rennes goalkeeper, Benoit Costil, touched the ball only once, to cut out a cross from James Forrest. Celtic were disjointed and no one seemed keen to receive or hold the ball.
Celtic needed a break and it came from James Forrest, not for the first time this season. The Celtic midfielder evaded two challenges and created space for a shot 25 yards out on the corner of the box. Costil, who had perhaps lost concentration during his long period as a spectator, stopped the shot but allowed it to rebound back into play, instead of turning it around the post. Anthony Stokes was on hand to pounce and turn the ball into the empty net.
Two minutes from half time Celtic took the lead when Georgios Samaras flicked on a Fraser Forster clearance which was missed by Mangane. Stokes collected outside the box and finished confidently with his left foot into the corner of the net.
Having dominated most of the first half Rennes would have wondered how they were behind at half time but the second half was a different game. Celtic came out with more fight than finesse but as the half progressed they played some of their best football of the season.
Neil Lennon’s injury problems were compounded when Glenn Loovens failed to return for the second half but the manager will be delighted by the debut of 17-year-old central defender Marcus Fraser, who threw himself into the game like an experienced professional.
Adam Matthews, Celtic’s other teenage defender, typified the home teams’ resurgence. He managed to maintain his cool under pressure with 28,000 fans nervously looking on.
Gary Hooper replaced the tiring James Forrest and wrapped things up for Celtic on 82 minutes. The striker collected a clearance under pressure in the centre circle and found Samaras in space on the left wing. Memories fleetingly flashed to mind of a similar break against Udinese when Samaras passed up a chance to make a decisive break but today the Greek was not to be denied. He played an inch-perfect pass into the path of the onrushing Hooper who met it 13 yards from goal, controlled and knocked it past Costil.
On 66 minutes Kris Commons replaced Paddy McCourt, who struggled to get into the game. Yann M’Vila, distributed the ball with great effect for Rennes and mopped up lots in central midfield but he failed to take account for ‘Tenacious C’, Commons, and collected his second yellow in the final minutes as the Celtic midfielder nipped the ball away from him.
402 Comments- Pages:
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- »
Yo
Get in
I’ve finally done it – FIRST! What a night!
So proud of that team tonight
Dammit
http://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/celtic-rennes-15644487/
fraser forster with a stevie g 60 yard diagonal for goal no. 2
gary hooper celebrates goal this season shocker
After a shaky start, thought big Dan cleared his lines well tonight and was pleased to see him high fiving young Marcus after the lad ushered a Rennes player away from goal. Generally talked the lad through the second half.
Credit where credits due.
am i in the starting 11 boss ???
tictalker talking tic
Recorded Celtic v Real Madrid earlier, just about to watch now.
Iwasthere CSC
Has anyone heard of this guy ?
Kevin wants the return of the ‘Jungle’ ASAP! says:
3 November, 2011 at 13:15
Celtic 3-1 Rennes
“Sack The Board NOW or, we’ll pass the huns on the way down!!!”
Off oot.
May God Bless ‘Every’ Celtic Fan.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Sadiesbhoy : just saw you coached Tom Boyd at school , St Bridgets of course. If you are who I think you might be, yes you did light a fire..that team still talks about you..in a good way of course..lol…
Sftb
I’ve enjoyed SFA stuff so far.. Not saying I swallow it all but brilliant for ideas and keeping coaches motivated, which hopefully rubs off on the boys at training.
Cheers
CB
Kayal
Just saw the Rennes goal again. The zonal defence is not static. Looks to me like Dan came out a few yards but still missed the ball in the air. Much like Loovens mistake in previous Europa match.
You can always gauge a ‘quality’ Celtic player by the lengths the media will go to, to erode his confidence…..I give you Sammi, for example….
Cults Bhoy
It was the same at our boys club. Many of the volunteer coaches were desperate to do the tactics stuff but what the boys wanted and needed was high impact training drills that kept them busy and practising. Pitch time and gym time is too valuable and expensive to waste on chalk and talk sessions.
Kevin @ 00:08
Kev,
That’s the only “I told you so” you’ll have for some time unless you flook the scores again :)
Which Kevin is the hun ?
Discuss.
Or something.
pigalle
67Heaven @ 00:13
Lot of truth in that. Hopefully, they’ve learned from that and will pay no more heed to the scum meeja. God forgive me, but I loathe them deeply.
Has anyone got a link to the Celtic 2-0 Real Madrid game from ESPN tonight ?
I remember being up the back of the Jungle that night, it seemed as though there was 30,000 in there that night!
I recall we went out 0-3 in the away leg and, then went on to lose the league to Aberdeen but, the best was served up last.
The Scottish Cup Final of 1980, Celtic 1-0 Rankers was one of the best days of my life and you know what, that is the only day that I have ever seen anyone stand up to the animalistic tendancies of the huns!
A GREAT memory of my Celtic supporting life.
Dan just f*cked up.
Pure and simple.
Let us not blame the zonal marking system..
He managed only to jump a few inches off the ground somehow and missed the ball completely.
Otherwise he had a decent game.
Mmmmmmmm…..
pigalle
Fortunes Favour Mibbes says:
4 November, 2011 at 00:13
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
My Amigo!
Tsk! Tsk!
My thoughts on the game before I flick back.
Their goal-usual,crap defending from a set-piece,and the way they lined up for it? Well,they’d done their homework.
At that stage,and for the next stage of the game,we were dead in the water.
Then Dan had a free given against him for eff all in the right-back position-not the first dodgy decision from the ref-and it seemed as though the team decided…….
RIGHT,THAT’S IT,ENUFFSENUFF!
From that moment on,the defence were impregnable-by previous standards-and Stokes was on the prowl.
Kayal and Wanyama OWNED that mob in the midfield.
Samaras,on the other hand,was EVERYWHERE,every blade of grass.
Every tackle,every header,every defensive block,every faffing EVERYTHING that man was there.
It was a MAGNIFICENT performance from a much-maligned player,and one who stepped up to the plate.
BIG TIME!
The rest of the team don’t rate a mention,only earning 8/10 IMO…..
Not bad for a team who hate their manager…..
Vmhan who Supports Neil Lennon says:
4 November, 2011 at 00:17
MWD, you should have said…… you ran oot of happy pills?
Wee Derryghirl has a plethora of them pain patches that fair cheer ye up will I fire up a few :¬)
Naw TBH MWD I was very happy with the performance, you get out of it what you put in, and we put it in tonight IMO
Loads of room for improvement, but as you say big yin, a step forward.
V
HH to ye!
share
Vmhan who Supports Neil Lennon says:
4 November, 2011 at 00:19
ps MWD you need a night out in Blackpool :¬)
V
HH
If you’re looking in tonight Mister Neil Lennon we have our hats off to you.
pigalle
Cheers Paul67 :¬)
I’m posting happily away on the other blog.
V
HH to ye!
back from the game & read through the posts during the match,Jeff Sterling eat your heart oot,real drama from the CQN,rs commenting.Top performance
after a dodgy start (again !),the pairing of Kyal & Wanyama in front of the centre backs gives us a much needed protection,also in europe our full backs
have less of a tendancy to get caught in the final third when we lose the ball leaving the centre backs exposed.IMO this more safe tactic (copyright wim yansen) gives us a far more solid look. Congrats to all,players managment & fans.Roll on Sunday…any chance of a euro ref ? HH
It was a win BUT…………….
They were all over us in the second half. Why ? Because we have no one who can hold the ball in midfield. Whoever gets it either launches it or goes off on a run that inevitably ends up with them getting it back which, in turn, results in our defence having to repel attack after attack.
Goal apart did we have another shot in the second half ? Did we even get in their box ? Don’t think so.
Yes it was a win but we’re still a long – long – way off being a team that gives you confidence of getting a result.
Chants of “Easy, Easy”
Agin Real Madrid :-)
In quick succession at one point in the second half Kayal, Wanyama and Commons got tore into the Rennes player in possession and it fair lifted my spirits almost as much as any goal. To see Celtic players showing they care, busting a gut for the cause.
I can accept defeat when I see effort like that. Tonight, that effort brought a fantastic victory. I’m sure it’s what Neil has been preaching to them and the penny dropped tonight.
They need to carry that application into EVERY SPL game. Do so, and we’ve still got a chance.
Hi Paul67 if youre around,
Well done to you and the team for exceeding my expectations….. oh and whilst doing so you’ve walked head and shoulders above, and way beyond the old scottish media.
Onwards to victory sir Paulo 67
V
HH
The Jury’s Out says:
4 November, 2011 at 00:27
You are a Surrealist Artist obviously.
pigalle
CQN, earier today in the Scottish Parliament, Christine Grahame was talking about the new legislation. We should continue to fight this!
It is simply astonishing that such a bad piece of legislation could become law. This legislation criminalises behaviour which will not be criminalised at other sporting events or other demonstrations or marches – that in itself is offensive to & biased against football fans!
Everyone agrees we would like something to be done to stamp out sectarianism, however introducing totally ridiculous (for law) and subjective term “offensive behaviour” leaves this bill wide open to abuse and challenge. This new legislation is simply not needed, proper implementation of existing legislation IS needed. There’s been years of failure by Police to implement existing laws ?
Under existing legislation, the police have continually communicated that the challenge with implementing it is the numbers involved in breaking the law and the safety of officers is paramount – what changes under this new legislation? It simply widens the criteria for committing a crime (& widens it too far & subjectively)
My suggestion on how this should be addressed, is draw a line under what has went on previously, draw a line under the abject failure of the Scottish footballing authorities and Police to deal with the problem, for once we should take UEFA’s lead and use a footballing solution (sanctions) to the footballing element of the problem. Why has the SFA & SPL ignored this issue for so long and not taken the lead from UEFA dealing with this problem? The Scottish Government, should put pressure on the footballing authorities to accept responsibility for dealing with sectarianism in football grounds, give them one or 2 seasons to implement and manage a set of sanctions which will be communicated clearly to all clubs and fans.
Clear video evidence of sectarian or racist behaviour or chanting by a group of supporters in or around the stadium will result in;
1st Offence – Warning
2nd Offence – Fine
3rd Offence – closed doors home game
4th Offence – closed doors home game + points deduction
I would be more than surprised if any group of fans got beyond the 3rd offence – the fans and clubs would have a real focus to police and get rid of the problem. This has not been attempted by the authorities. This WILL ensure the problem is eradicated from our stadiums.
There is of course the wider societal issue of sectarianism, football is not responsible for these and can only help influence with firstly sorting its own house as outlined above and then help with the continual education of their followers, you must remember it was only a little over 20 years ago RFC signed their 1st high profile RC, a lot has changed for the better since then, we simply need to continue this progress.
This wider societal problem can only be addressed when it is understood. There is is very little data in the public domain which shows what the problem is and how it manifests itself on our streets. therefore the Scottish Government should commission a gathering and analysis of the data the Crown Office had but “lost”. Only then can we fully understand how the sectarian problem manifests itself on Scotland’s streets and only then can appropriate measures be put in place to address it.
Anecdotal evidence as provided by the police and SNP at the witness gathering for this legislation is of no use. Give us the hard facts of how the existing sectarian legislation has worked (or failed) in Scotland, detailed anaylsis of all information available for each conviction under existing sectarian legislation is the only way we can fully understand the problem and be able to address it through education and legislation.
There are spikes in domestic violence on many other dates throughout the year, these dates tend to be opportunities for many in our nation to abuse alcohol and there will be a far closer correlation to sectarian crime and domestic violence with alcohol abuse than with any football match or indeed sectarian march. eg Someone at game or a march who is guilty of a sectarian crime, I would suggest 9/10 times the individual will be intoxicated. This is a different issue, however one which must be considered, and I do accept the SNP are attempting to address this societal problem. It should be noted it is an offense to enter a stadium whilst drunk, why is this not implemented?
To provide a concise question. How can the SNP introduce legislation without understanding the problem? Can the SNP commit to gathering the information promised to Prof Tom Devine during the witness gathering (by the Justice committee chaired by Christine Grahame)? Why Not ?
And finally, what is a crime and not a crime under this law. If I sing about the IRA is it a crime? Or does it depend on which IRA I’m referring to? Or does it depend on which IRA a “reasonable person” thinks I’m referring to? I am offended by God Save the Queen, from a political and nationalist perspective – I do not believe it should be made illegal under any circumstances – do the SNP? I could enter a stadium and sing a song which no one in that stadium finds offensive, I could sing the very same song in the same stadium a different day and some people may find it offensive, which instance is illegal (if any) and how am I to know?
I do not necessarily agree with singing of political songs at football, however political expression should never be made illegal! Is it right to pick and choose which political songs are ok and which aren’t? Is it right to dictate to a minority that their political singing is illegal because it is not the popular held view? Is it right to stop people singing nationalist songs of pride, because of the nation the songs are about?
I am hopefull this legislation will not pass, however if implemented it appears to me the bill itself could be deemed racist and offensive.
I apologise for my lack of brevity. This legislation is so wrong on so many levels.
Magic tonight Celtic and don’t want to take anything away from the performance and result, however fighting this legislation is crucial to the future of our support.
hh
bjmac
Hopefully Neil will go with Stokes up on his own from now on.
Samaras on the flank was a joy to behold
Wanyama is the Kayal of last season and, Kayal is the Lenny of yester-year.
James Forrest continues to grow in stature
Adam Matthews performed admirably on the left but, is better on the right
The defence, make-shift again were better than I thought they would be
And, last but not least…Fraser Foster performed better I think because, he realised that the defence started to gel and offer the type of protection he deserves.
THE JURY’S OUT 0027
All over us?
Take yer Rangers scarf off the next time,you might see the PERFORMANCE the rest of us saw tonight.
100% commitment,and a great result and you STILL moan.
Were you the faffin’ choob beside me in 111 who STILL gave Sammi pelters every time he drew breath?
Tosser.
Sectarianism can only exist within the confines of football.
It’s a stupid idea.
pigalle
Great win tonight.
Must starts for Sunday
Victor
Kayal
Commons
Hoops
Stokesy
Also need to get Matthews back in at right back.
Also think matthews
Chaplin says:
4 November, 2011 at 00:29
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Any links to the game M8!
It would certainly make an old Tim happy!
Effing iPhone ;-)
bjmac @ 00:32
What happened there today? Can you summarise? (missed it all this afternoon). Am i right in thinking they’re still determined to rail road it through?
(already p’d off as they are increasing the price of my Asda Smartprice Cider)