FEYENOORD 2 CELTIC 0
GUSTAF LAGERBIELKE and Odin Holm were both dismissed in a night of red card mayhem in Rotterdam.
Celtic plunged to defeat in the opening game of the Champions League Group E campaign which erupted in controversy with the second-half sendings-off of the centre-back and the midfielder.
Ropey Bosnian referee Irfan Peljto ludicrously banished Lagerbielke in the 63rd minute for a second yellow card as he also awarded the Dutch a penalty-kick.
The match official bought the disgusting theatrics of Igor Paixao who went down holding his face after a challenge from the Swede.
OFF NIGHT…Gustaf Lagerbielke sees red as Callum McGregor looks stunned by referee’s decision.
The whistler was quick to make the double decision and, just as mesmerisingly, the VAR team agreed with him and Lagerbielke had to walk while Paixao prepared to take the spot-kick.
Justice was done when Joe Hart dived to his right to push his effort away.
It didn’t get much better for Brendan Rodgers’ side six minutes later when substitute Holm, who had replaced Reo Hatate only 11 minutes earlier, was shown a straight red card when he slid in to make an awkward tackle.
The nine-man Hoops were already trailing 1-0 to a late first-half free-kick and it was no surprise when the tiring visitors conceded another in the 76th minute to get the Euro adventure off to a dramatic and dismal start.
All of Celtic’s good work in the first-half was undone at a stroke two minutes into stoppage time.
The Dutch side won a free-kick 25 yards out after Quinten Timber had been quick to go to ground after a challenge and the referee was just as swift to give the award.
NUMBER ONE…Joe Hart is beaten by Calvin Stengs’ free-kick for the opening goal.
Calvin Stengs stepped forward to lash a left-foot effort low to Hart’s left. The wall in front of the keeper allowed the Dutchman far too much space to weigh up the position and it whipped round Kyogo Furuhashi to hurtle towards its destination.
The keeper had to attempt to scramble across his line as the ball kicked up off the wet surface and eluded his grasp at the post.
It was an awful goal to concede at an equally dreadful time in the encounter.
Up until that point, the match had been fairly even and, in fact, only a fine diving save from Timon Wellenreuther denied Daizen Maeda the opening strike in the 37th minute.
The Japanese raider powered up the right wing before lashing a curling low drive that was heading for the corner of the net until the netminder sprawled full-length to push it to safety.
OFF NIGHT…it’s Odin Holm’s turn to see red as Callum McGregor pleads his case.
Hart’s only other moment of mild anxiety had arrived just after the half-hour mark when Yankuba Minteh was allowed to run with the ball before unleashing a vicious drive that the Hoops No.1 was happy to tip over the crossbar.
The visitors, with Lagerbielke and Liam Scales working well in central defence and Matt O’Riley and Hatate busy in midfield, had looked reasonably comfortable until the fatal moment on the stroke of half-time before the roof fell in after the interval.
Honduran winger Luis Palma, making his first start for the club, saw a lot of the ball in the early stages, but failed to make an impact and his expected withdrawal came in the 58th minute when he was replaced by Yang Hyun-jun at the same time as the unfortunate Holm came on for the tiring Hatate.
As soon as Lagerbielke left proceedings, Rodgers sent on Tomoki Iwata for Kyogo and later on Oh Hyeon-gyu and Paulo Bernardo replaced Maeda and O’Riley.
The Dutch had two ‘goals’ correctly ruled out for offside, but there was little Hart could do to prevent Iranian Alireza Jahanbakhsh from lashing in the second in the 76th minute.
The ball actually broke off Johnston as he raced in to guard the far post at a right-wing cross and was teed up perfectly for his opponent to blast a drive into the roof of the net.
NUMBER TWO…Joe Hart has no chance as Alireza Jahanbakhsh crashes the ball high past his vain attempt.
It was a night to forget for Rodgers and his players where some bizarre decision-making went against his team.
Now the manager faces a major headache before the visit of Lazio with Lagerbielke immediately suspended. It could leave the Irishman with just Scales as his recognised centre-back with Cameron Carter-Vickers and Stephen Welsh crocked while Maik Nawrocki’s injury prevented him from being named in the squad.
The problems just keeping piling up for Celtic in this arena.
TEAM: Hart; Johnston, Lagerbielke, Scales, Taylor; Hatate (sub: Holm 58), McGregor, O’Riley (sub: Bernardo 82); Palma (sub: Yang 58), Kyogo (sub: Iwata 67), Maeda (sub: Oh 82).
