DEILA’S EURO VIEW MATCH-BY-MATCH



RONNY DEILA has had plenty to say during Celtic’s European campaign.

Here is a selection on a match-by-match basis.
CELTIC 2 STJARNAN 0
Boyata 45, Johansen 56
The champions were coasting in the first Champions League qualifier when Leigh Griffiths missed a penalty-kick late in the game.
Deila: “We go into the next game 2-0 ahead, but it would have been easier with three. We can get an early goal in Iceland which will be important. We want to play a good match and we will treat the game with respect.”
STJARNAN 1 CELTIC 4
Finson 7; Bitton 33, Mulgrew 49, Griffiths 88, Johansen 90 (Agg: 1-6)
Craig Gordon conceded an early goal, but Nir Bitton started the fightback with a close-range header from a corner-kick.
Deila: “We feel we have done the right things up until now. I feel we’re well prepared and that is the most important thing. Good preparation leads to success and I’m satisfied with what we’ve done.”
CELTIC 1 FK QARABAG 0
Boyata 82
It took a late header from defender Dedryck Boyata to hand Celtic the advantage in the second qualifier.
Deila: “Now we know we need to defend well in Azerbaijan and play to our best to get through. We had good defensive displays last season, including in the Inter Milan match. So, we need to take positives with us.”
FK QARABAG 0 CELTIC 0 (Agg: 0-1)
Craig Gordon made one superb first-half save to defy the opponents, but otherwise it was a sound performance.
Deila: “We’re getting better as individuals and also as a team. We defended better as a team and that’s the most important thing.”
CELTIC 3 MALMO 2
Griffiths 3,62, Bitton 10; Berget 52,90
Loan flop Jo Inge Berget rocked the Hoops with a last-kick-of-the-ball goal after they had raced into a 2-0 lead early on.
Deila: “We’re very motivated. Everybody’s improving and everybody knows what they have to do. We know we are going in the right direction.”
MALMO 2 CELTIC 0
Rosenberg 23, Boyata 45 og; Agg: 4-3
Two corner-kicks created havoc and Celtic missed out on the £22million Champions League cash bonanza.
Deila: “We were not even close to be at the level we can be. We looked very uncomfortable on the ball. We didn’t want the ball and looked frightened and scared. It was very disappointing.”
AJAX 2 CELTIC 2
Fischer 24, Schone 84; Bitton 8,Lustig 42
The visitors led twice, but allowed the Dutch back into the game with Emilio Izaguirre’s ordering-off late in the game.
Deila: “Of course, the sending-off was the turning point. I’m quite sure we would have won without the red card. I felt we had control, but when we got to 10, we had trouble.”
CELTIC 2 FENERBAHCE 2
Griffiths 28, Commons 32; Fernandao 43,48
The Bhoys blew a two-goal advantage with blunders from Efe Ambrose gifting a point to the Turks.
Deila: “You need to keep concentration for 90 minutes and that’s the biggest challenge for Efe. He plays 88 minutes very good, but he then sometimes makes easy mistakes.”
MOLDE 3 CELTIC 1
Kamara 11, Forren 18, Elyounoussi 56; Commons 55
Goalscorer Kris Commons blew his his top following his substitution in the second-half in a night to forget for the Celts.
Deila: “We are one team and it’s not about one player. That was disrespectful for everyone else. What happened is something we cannot have in the team”
CELTIC 1 MOLDE 2
Commons 26; Elyounoussi 21, Hestad 37
Celtic Park was silenced with the Norwegian minnows claiming back-to-back wins over the Hoops. Forty-year-old Daniel Hestad netted the winner. Nir Bitton was sent off.
Deila: “I don’t think about my position – that is for other people to write about. I’m going to work hard to turn this around.”
CELTIC 1 AJAX 2
McGregor 3;  Milik 20; Cerny 88.
Another miserable night in the east end of Glasgow as Celtic’s winless European run stretches to 10 and they are condemned to finish Group A at the bottom with the next game against Fenerbahce in Istanbul meaningless.
Deila: “We are going to be ready for next year. That’s the message to all the fans and that’s the task I have here with everybody else at this football club. I know we need to be better to win games.”
FENERBAHCE 1 CELTIC 1
Markovic 39;        Commons 75
A howler from Craig Gordon presented the Turks with a first-half advantage, but Kris Commons, on the pitch as a substitute for two minutes, levelled with a flying header from a measured right-wing cross from Mikael Lustig.
Deila: “We weren’t good enough. As a manager, you can always find someone to point the finger and make excuses. But, in the whole picture, it’s MY fault and I’m going to take that responsibility.”
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