CALLUM McGREGOR admitted there was “a little bit of disappointment” among the Celtic players after the 2-2 Europa League draw with Bologna in Italy last night.
On an evening of high drama, the Hoops scored two first-half goals and had Reo Hatate, who claimed the opener, red-carded in between the strikes.
Auston Trusty netted five minutes before the turnaround when he popped up at the far post to finish off a head-flick from defensive partner Liam Scales following an excellent right-wing corner-kick delivery from Kieran Tierney.
THIS IS YOUR CAPTAIN SPEAKING…Callum McGregor gives his views to Celtic TV.
However, after playing for over an hour with only 10 men, the visitors, despite a heroic stance, succumbed to a second-half onslaught from the Serie A outfit and conceded twice in a thrilling four-goal stalemate.
Now McGregor and his team-mates have the opportunity to boost their points total to 11 when they take on Dutch side Utrecht on Thursday night at Parkhead where a victory will secure a place in the knock-out stages of the competition.
Reflecting on a rousing European encounter, the Celtic captain side: “At the beginning of the tournament, if you’re offered a chance to win at home to go through, then you take it. This result does set us up well for next week.
“Obviously, we put ourselves in a position to go and win last night’s game and there’s a little bit of disappointment in not being able to hang on.
“But with the balance of the game the draw was probably a good result, especially going down to 10 men.
“It shows you where the players are at in terms of mentality, to go from 2-0 up to draw the game, we’re a wee bit disappointed with that.
“Overall, though, in terms of performance with 10 men and taking everything into consideration, it was still a very good point.”
AT THE DOUBLE…Auston Trusty stabs home Celtic’s second goal in Bologna.
Switching his focus to the Premiership and the match against pacesetters Hearts at Tynecastle on Sunday, McGregor, speaking to Celtic TV, added: “It’s now about recovery and preparing for the game.
“When it comes, we have to do everything we can to make sure that we win and, hopefully, send a strong message.”
The champions have lost twice to the Edinburgh team this season when Brendan Rodgers was in charge of the 3-1 loss in Gorgie – the Irishman’s last game as Hoops gaffer in October – and then when French flop Wilfried Nancy made his debut during his catastrophic 33-day stay at Parkhead.
Derek McInnes’ side eased to a 2-1 triumph in the east end of Glasgow last month and hold a six-point advantage as interim boss Martin O’Neill – and his determined squad – set about gaining revenge in a must-win confrontation this time around.
REO SEES RED AS 10 HEROES HOLD OUT
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