CELTIC 0 SPORTING BRAGA 2
IT WAS a night of calamity as Celtic sleepwalked into a nightmare against Sporting Braga during a Europa League embarrassment at Parkhead this evening.
Before the encounter, Brendan Rodgers had demanded a ruthless approach from his players. Instead, he got toothless.
The collapse was utterly incomprehensible and the hosts paid dearly for some catastrophic goalkeeping from Kasper Schmeichel and a bizarre decision from VAR to rule out what looked like a perfectly legitimate goal from Kelechi Iheanacho that would have squared it at 1-1 early in the second period.
As it turned out, the visitors were gifted a second goal in the 85th minute and that was the signal for the frustrated fans to head for the exits.
ANGUISH…Kasper Schmeichel is left pawing fresh air as Ricardo Horta’s long-range drive beats him for the opening goal.
Questions were asked and there were no answers from Rodgers and his players who have played four European ties this season and failed to win one.
Even worse, they have fired blank in two games in front of their own fans under the lights in the east end of Glasgow.
A dreadful piece of goalkeeping from Schmeichel allowed the Portuguese to take a half-time lead.
The normally-reliable Danish keeper was caught out in the 20th minute when the visitors scored after weathering an early storm from the Hoops.
Braga captain Ricardo Horta was afforded far too much time and space as he accepted a pass from the left without an opponent within touching distance.
The midfielder nudged the ball a yard or so in front of him before unleashing a 25-yard drive that took a wicked dip to flummox the surprised Schmeichel. He flapped at the ball as it soared over his head and into the roof of the net.
HEADS I LOSE…Kelechi Iheanacho nods the ball forward before scoring what looked like Celtic’s equaliser before a mystifying no-goal decision by VAR.
There is no doubt the veteran shotstopper will take the blame for the goal. He really should have at least tipped the ball over the bar, but he missed completely and Parkhead fell silent apart from a pocket of travelling fans who celebrated big-style.
It was a first-half for Celtic to forget. Sebastian Tounekti provided an early threat in the 13th minute when he danced into the box, swerved past a challenge and walloped a vicious right-foot drive at goal.
Moroccan keeper Alaa Bellaarouch threw up both hands to beat the effort to safety.
Alas, that was the only time the Sporting netminder was bothered in another worryingly insipid first-half performance from the hosts.
The Portuguese grew into the game as the half wore on and there was a malfunction in the Hoops midfield with Benjamin Nygren, Callum McGregor and Paulo Bernardo providing very little going forward.
Iheanacho lacked service and Daizen Maeda’s best work was being done in the middle of the park as he chased and harried opponents.
The end came to a halt with Schmeichel showing good reflexes to touch over a rasping shot from Florian Grillisch.
GROUNDED…Cameron Carter-Vickers is flat out after missing with a close-range header.
Marcelo Sarracchi replaced Colby Donovan at the interval which created a rejig in the Hoops formation with the Uruguayan moving into a left-sided berth in front of Kieran Tierney with Rodgers opting for a back three with Maeda being pulled back on the right.
It looked as though Iheanacho had claimed the leveller in the 51st minute when he seized onto a sloppy passbook, headed on the ricochet from a desperate defender, composed himself and then rolled a left-foot effort low into the net.
It was the lifeline the Hoops craved, but the celebrations were killed when VAR nullified the strike, stating it had been handball from the Nigerian striker before he scored,
TV pictures clearly showed the ball hit Iheanacho on the forehead, but somehow the screen official saw a different picture and the effort was ruled out.
In the 63rd minute, Tierney had a header from a right-wing corner-kick pushed away by the keeper and four minutes later, Reo Hatate and Arne Engels replaced Nygren and Bernardo.
Six minutes later, Bellaarouch denied Tounekti again when he threw himself full-length to his left to push away a blistering attempt from the Tunisian winger who had eased past two defenders to open up the opportunity.
Engels picked out Cameron Carter-Vickers with an inviting right-wing corner-kick, but, alas, the centre-back didn’t make clean contact and sent a header wide from eight yards.
ON THE REBOUND…Dane Murray thumps the ball against Gabri Martinez for Braga’s second goal on a night to forget for Celtic.
James Forrest was sent on for Maeda in the 77th minute and Dane Murray replaced Tierney three minutes later.
The young defender didn’t have a happy introduction when he thumped a clearance off Gabri Martinez in the 85th minute and the ball ricocheted straight into the net for the killer goal.
Schmeichel had already pushed away a shot and Liam Scales had blocked the rebound before the ball fell at the feet of Murray who slammed it against his opponent and there was nothing the grounded keeper could do on this occasion.
That rebound was a fitting epitaph on a night everything went wrong for Celtic.
TEAM: Schmeichel; Donovan (sub: Saracchi 46), Carter-Vickers, Scales, Tierney (sub: Murray 80); Nygren (sub: Engels 67), McGregor, Bernardo (sub: Hatate 67); Maeda (sub: Forrest 77), Iheanacho and Tounekti.
