AMAZINGLY, it has been over EIGHT agonising months since Celtic last scored a European goal at Parkhead.
That honour fell to Daizen Maeda when he netted the team’s consolation effort 11 minutes from time in the 3-1 home loss to Bodo/Glimt in the first leg of the Euro Conference League match on February 17.
Since that evening, the Hoops have fired blanks in their two Champions League outings under the lights in the east end of Glasgow against Real Madrid (0-3) and RB Leipzig (0-2).
SOLO JOTA…the Portuguese winger celebrates his equaliser against RB Leipzig in Germany. The strike makes him the only Celtic player to score a goal in Europe this season.
Equally remarkably, Filipe Jota is the only Celt to get on the scoresheet in this season’s four games in Europe’s elite competition.
The Portuguese flyer, who will be missing through injury against Shakhtar Donetsk tonight, was on the mark with an excellent equaliser against RB Leipzig in Germany 20 days ago. Unfortunately, the Bundesliga club came back to win 3-1.
Reo Hatate thought he had scored against the Ukrainians in Warsaw last month when he squeezed an angled drive into the net.
However, the spoilsports at UEFA insisted the ball had taken a nick off defender Artem Bondarenko and history books will now show the effort as being an own goal from the Shakhtar defender.
OH GEE…Reo Hatate is ‘robbed’ of a strike against Shakhtar Donetsk as his angled effort takes a touch off defender Artem Bondarenko.
To be fair to Ange Postecoglou’s side they have not been carrying a lot of good fortune during their European adventure in Paradise.
Skipper Callum McGregor smacked one off the inside of the Real Madrid post when it was goalless and Matt O’Riley and Greg Taylor both knocked on wood when it was 0-0 against RB Leipzig.
Add to that a catalogue of squandered chances and it becomes a tale of woe and what-might-have-been.
Tonight would be a good time for the Hoops to get off the mark.
* DON’T miss the unbeatable match report from Celtic v Shakhtar Donetsk this evening – only in your champion CQN.
