CELTIC 2 FERENCVAROS 0
THIS was a real hit and miss encounter for Celtic at a bouncing Parkhead this afternoon.
Kyogo Furuhashi and David Turnbull appeared to have claimed the goals that mattered to give Ange Postecoglou’s side the rich-needed three points in their crucial Europa League Group G meeting with Hungarian champions Ferencvaros.
The midfielder, though, later discovered UEFA were going to credit it as an own goal from defender Balint Vecsei.
The Hoops fans were delighted to see their favourites get their first win at the third time of asking in a competitive section, but the scoreline should have been a lot more emphatic which would have reflected the superiority of the home team.
Callum McGregor, who put in an outstanding performance, missed a penalty-kick that would have doubled the team’s advantage and Turnbull, sub Giorgos Giakoumakis and Man of the Match Filpe Jota also failed to hit the back of the net when it seemed impossible not to score.
BREAKTHROUGH…Kyogo Furuhashi leaves a Ferencvaros defender in his slipstream as he fires in the opening goal.
HAIR-RAISING…Kyogo Furuhashi celebrates in some style.
HOOP HOOP HOORAY…Kyogo Furuhashi waits to celebrate with his team-mates.
Some shooting practice might be the order of the day at Lennoxtown in the coming days, but no-one will be complaining just now after a dominant performance against a very capable opposing unit who, of course, won 2-1 at the same venue only 14 months ago.
But that was then and this is now and the changes are now beginning to tell as a new line-up begins to gel in an exciting fashion.
Kyogo got the barrier-breaking strike in the 57th minute after a breathtakingly brilliant through pass from Jota.
His laser beam ball travelled about 40 yards before the pacy frontman took a touch to get clear and then placed an unstoppable right-foot effort low into the keeper’s left-hand corner.
And, following McGregor’s 61st-minute spot-kick miss when Denis Dibusz dived to his left to push the effort away, Turnbull managed to scramble in the second in the 81st minute after Jota had again provided the ammunition.
The midfielder missed wildly with a left-foot swing right in front of goal, but got the break of the ball to see an effort flick off a defender and into the net off the underside of the crossbar.
ME AND MY SHADOW…Ange Postecoglou and John Kennedy celebrate in tandem.
The Hoops enjoyed two-thirds of possession in the first-half, but keeper Dibusz denied Jota twice with smart saves to keep it goalless at the interval.
There was a fabulous atmosphere as the Postecoglou’s men went in search of the crucial victory that was required against well-drilled opponents who threatened on the counter with speedy raids.
Captain and shotstopper Dibusz was brought into action in the eighth minute when his Hoops counterpart McGregor tried to finish of a smooth move with a low shot from outside the box, but there wasn’t enough power or precision to worry the keeper who held on low to his right.
Three minutes later, the shotstopper thwarted the Hoops again when he got down well to block a well-struck netbound angled drive from Jota at the expense of a corner-kick.
OOPS…David Turnbull fails to make a clean contact with Filipe Jota’s pass.
WAIT FOR IT…David Turnbull dives in for a second kick at the ball.
WHOOPS…David Turnbull is flat out, but the ball is in the net for the second goal with UEFA crediting defender Balint Vecsei.
In the 17th minute, Dibusz was forced into an acrobatic high-flying tip over the crossbar as Jota whipped in a swift right-foot drive from just outside the box. It was heading for the roof of the net until the fingertips of the netminder got a touch to send it out for a corner-kick.
Celtic, with McGregor, Turnbull and Tom Rogic busy in midfield and Abada and Jota williing to run on the flanks, looked in control, but there was still an anxious moment in the 23rd minute when Adam Montgomery was slack with a ball out of defence.
The Hungarians pounced on the wayward pass, Myrto Uzuni sprinted forward, the left-back failed to get in a challenge and the Ferencvaros player thumped a stinging shot at goal.
Joe Hart, alert as ever, dived athletically to his left to push the ball wide to kill off the threat.
Kyogo had been busy outside the box, but quiet in front of goal and his main opportunity came from a left-wing cross from the busy Jota. The Japanese frontman got his angles and timing off and his eight-yard header swept well wide of the target.
However, following Kyogo’s opener, Postecoglou threw on Giakoumakis in the 71st minute for an out-of-sorts Abada who struggled to make an impact on proceedings.
I’M IN CHARGE…Joe Hart claimed another clean sheet with an excellent performance.
Nir Bitton also came on for Rogic who had looked smart and sharp during his time on the pitch.
Five minutes later, Liam Scales came on for Montgomery and once again the young Irishman looked the part and refused to panic under pressure.
By the time the substitutions had been made, McGregor had seen his spot-kick punched away by the defiant Dibusz. The kick had been awarded after Montgomery had been scythed down in the box.
In the 68th minute, Hart had been called up to make a superb save from a quickly-taking free-kick at his near post. It was one of several times the concentration of the former England international No.1 was called upon and he did not let his team-mates down with an accomplished display.
CELEBRATIONS CELTIC-STYLE…David Turnbull is about to be engulfed with ecstatic team-mates after the second goal.
Shortly after making his substitute appearance, Greek striker Gialoumakis failed to connect with a Turnbull left-wing corner-kick from four yards. He looked as baffled as the fans when the chance went begging.
Turnbull then slid one past the post when he was clean through on the keeper and Jota replicated the feat moments later. They should have both been tucked away.
Five minutes from time, Mikey Johnston entered the action to replace Kyogo who had put himself about as usual right from the kick-off.
Now all eyes are on Budapest on November 4 for the match which will go a long way to determining if the Hoops will be involved in European football after Christmas.
TEAM: Hart; Ralston, Carter-Vickers, Starfelt, Montgomery (sub: Scales 76); Turnbull, McGregor, Rogic (sub: Bitton 71); Abada (sub: Giakoumakis 71), Kyogo (sub: Johnston 85), Jota.
