By Alex Gordon.
A DREADFUL penalty-kick miss by Bahrudin Atajic condemned Ronny Deila to his first defeat as Celtic manager.
The Bosnian striker had the ideal opportunity to level the scores four minutes from time after substitute Paul McMullan had been downed in the box.
Unfortunately, Atajic blazed his spot-kick over the bar into the Hamburg crowd much to the annoyance of the new Hoops gaffer.
It was a largely experimental Celtic line-up with Deila taking no risks ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League qualifier against Legia Warsaw in the Polish capital.
Alas, appalling defending by Filip Twardzik gifted the Germans the winning goal before the interval.
The left-back made a mess of trying to control a long and hopeful punt into the Celtic penalty box. The ball broke clear and was immediately presented to Christopher Nothe who could hardly believe his good fortune.
Nothe struck his effort first time from eight yards and Craig Gordon had no chance as the low drive zipped past his right hand in the 39th minute.
Twardzik toiled in the opening 45 minutes and was also booked in the 33rd minute after a lunging tackle after once again giving the ball away with a slack pass.
Celtic started at whirlwind pace and had three excellent opportunities inside the opening 10 minutes.
Atajic fizzed in a low shot from just outside the box, but keeper Philipp Tschauner got down swiftly to hold the ball at his right hand post.
Five minutes later, Tony Watt, looking lively on the left wing, tried his luck from a tight angle.
His shot totally bamboozled Tschauner, but carried over the crossbar and out to safety.
Amido Balde should have got the game’s opening goal in the 10th minute when he was through on goal after some neat play outside the box.
However, the Portuguese Under-21 international lacked composure at the vital moment and allowed the keeper to block his hurried parting shot.
Gordon, making his second appearance for the Hoops, showed he was still rusty after being out for over two years with a slack goal-kick to Nir Biton.
The Israeli midfielder, captain for the day, was taken unawares and St Pauli broke forward, but made a mess of the opportunity.
Stuart Findlay, partnering Eoghan O’Connell in the middle of the inexperienced back four, was also sloppy with some wayward passes, but the Hoops escaped punishment.
The game was billed as a friendly – and the clubs have an affiliation – but the home players weren’t slow to put in some punishing challenges.
Skipper Soren Gonther was yellow-carded for a rugby tackle on McGeouch that wouldn’t have looked out of place in Celtic’s current home at Murrayfield.
Liam Henderson tried to set up Balde with a neat chip into the danger zone, but the ball carried over the giant frontman’s head.
It looked like being a stalemate at the interval until Twardzik’s lapse in concentration and control allowed St Pauli to snatch the lead.
Deila put on Lukasz Zaluska for Gordon at half-time and replaced the ineffective Balde with Paul McMullan.
Henderson brought the St Pauli keeper into action with a long-range free-kick in the 65th minute. The idea was good, but, unfortunately, the execution didn’t quite match the ambition.
Zaluska produced one memorable moment when he pushed a raging effort from Sebastian Mhyre over the crossbar 10 minutes from time.
Then came Atajic’s dreadful spot-kick blunder which was followed in the last minute by an effort from Watt which swept just wide of the target.
As an exercise, it was worthwhile and the Celtic youngsters will expect to do better when presented with the opportunity to impress the new manager.
CELTIC: Gordon (sub: Zaluska 46); Herron, Findlay, O’Connell, Twardzik; Biton, Henderson, McGeouch; Atajic, Balde (sub: McMullan 46) and Watt.
1,482 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- ...
- 23
- 24
- 25
- 26
- 27
- 28
- 29
- ...
- 39
- »
a light insanity
How was the game and atmosphere ?
Great day up the park today with a band playing some great music. Shame when the rain came on and we had some thunder and lighting which didn’t go down well with the conductor.
Z,
Wasn’t being disrespectful, just wanted to compare. We are in for a good game. Cheers.
Brass Man
17:51 on
27 July, 2014
I would always say MacBookPro. A memory as big as Mr Steins, fast as Buzzbomb Bobby Lennox, as reliable as Cesar, as intuitive as Murdoch, a kick like Big Tam Gemmell’s and as stylish and intricate as Jinky.
The Air is a beautiful thing as well, but it’s powderpuff and it falls down quite a lot, a bit like David Ginola. (Oh my, did we ever dodge a bullet there.)
Anything Microsoft is simply Motherwell, IMO.
Or maybe even Shotts. *runs*
Paul67 et al
To eliminate the Champions of Poland at this stage of the season would be quite an achievement for Celtic, and I hope it can happen. Ronny D seems to have done as well as anybody could have in preparing the players he has available, and used his preparation matches well to give a lot of players some game time. Sure we will miss Scott Brown et al, but hopefully by now he is well on the mend. As for any player imagining a future elsewhere well you gotta earn it, and this tie is one way of showing that you can cut it away from the Norwiches and the Southamptons of this world. Four five one would seem to be the way to go, but who is the one, that is the question?
Captain Beefheart
Thank you for reply earlier.
A night of lying horizontal on the couch with the T V remote control watching what I decide is to be watched awaits me.
Yes she is away outCSC.
Why are random words in the blog’s posts now bolded-up and highlighted in green and are hyperlinks to adverts?
Or is it just me? *locks door and closes curtains*
eddieinkirkmichael
19:18 on 27 July, 2014
Great day up the park today with a band playing some great music. Shame when the rain came on and we had some thunder and lighting which didn’t go down well with the conductor.
*****
Should have got a lightening conducter for the band!
Captain Beefheart
I did not think you were disrespectfull. I thought “Money” can play well on Bowers & Wilkins, not on the pitch.
Greeninbingley
Ah you have been invaded by the Add Pro thing.
Had the same problem the other day.
I couldn’t uninstall it either (wouldn’t do it) so I followed Tom McLaughlin’s advice and did a system reset thing… where you reset the systems to a date when you didn’t have the blooming things. I also used my Norton system to run a full scan and it quarantined it as opposed to uninstalling it.
Good luck.
Watching the wummins swimmin…thought the lassie WEECH from Bahamas was a cert.
RWE
19:31 on
27 July, 2014
Thanks very much for that – will try a reset.
Jobo, just back last Sunday from a fortnight in Menorca; bad news is that the weather was ‘mixed’ rather than the constant sunshine/heat which is usual. But I’m sure you and Mrs. Jobo will have a fine time.
Don’t know much about Binibeca (only stopped for half an hour during a car tour of the island), but it looked really quaint. You’re only a 20/25 minute bus ride (local buses reliable and fairly cheap by the way) away from Mahon;do give your missus a day-oot there, it’s got some great history as well as shops, bars, restaurants and a wonderful harbour. Also, I’m sure I walked by an Irish bar in Mahon, but I can’t remember where exactly where.
I know you like your excercise. The Cami de Cavalls (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cam%C3%AD_de_Cavalls) is a long distance walk around the whole island, with some easy but spectacular walking in places. It will pass close to Bini.
I would volunteer to do the daily weather stuff for EK while you’re away, but my better half and I are offski for a few days next weekend so it wouldn’t be continuous. Suppose I could pick it up the following week if no one else done?
Enjoy yersels.
thomthethim for oscar ok
18:26 on 27 July, 2014
Best drink in the world !!!
Going to letterkenny next weekend and intend to stock up
No bother Left click.
Is our game on Premier Sports on Wednesday?
Yes.
Hamiltontim
19:51 on
The man from kirkmicheal says Yes it is
EDB/Eddie
Thank you gents.
Troll night out on Wednesday.
At the Blue Oyster. Troll friendly: specially adapted seats and glasses.
Singing D will reveal all.
Ernie Lynch will dress up as a Krankie.
Kev J and myself will sign pictures for those of you who are obsessed with us.
Free champagne for our Socialist chums.
Roll up.
What happened to the Lasley loan money……….
Any Sevco admin news………???
lennon’s passion
18:07 on
27 July, 2014
Because I am shite at writing anything short – though I sometimes do!
Putting aside the cash for a minute. Anyone else think the EL may be more suitable level for the Celtic just now ? Not just in footballing terms but relative to the new management team.
Big cup winners,
One sadly cannot put aside the cash. We need it to develop more. Ronny needs experience in the CL.
BRTH
You could be Bob Dyland lyrics co writer, definitely not Rihanna. I’m with you.
Captain Beefheart
The team, manager included, benefited from the EL experience a few years back.
Settling for the EL is loser talk. We are Celtic. Players still want to play for us.
Zbyszek
Cheers, I have never unleashed any BRTH lyrics on this site, but they do exist!
PF Ayr
Paul, I am basing my opinion on what I saw in the later stages of both the Champions League ( last sixteen ) and the Europa league where there were teams I feel we can compete against.
You make a good point about the performances in last years CL but I think there were factors we need to take into account.
First, against Barcelona I actually felt more comfortable against them at Celtic Park than in the game that we won at home the previous season. That was until Scott Brown was sent off and we had to completely change shape and lost a key factor in defending against them.
What we lacked was the opportunism ( height ) of Wanyama at the set piece which put us into the lead and which put them under pressure which was then capitalised on by Tony Watt’s breakaway goal.
Against Milan, we suffered from the blunder that lead us to going down almost immediately and so ended up chasing the game. I think there was a huge mistake in playing Ambrose from the start ( easy to say in hindsight ) and after that Milan just ran away as our heads went down.
Against Barca in Barca, we changed our tactics from before and opted to play in a style that suited them and, to be honest, with a team which knew it was a dead and meaningless game.
Our biggest failing was in Holland to be honest and we should have been better there in every department.
Against Milan away we played well and we were unlucky not to get something from the game.
Other teams who reached the later stages of both tournaments did not impress much bar the very last two or four — and I think with just a little improvement we could match those teams.
Again, all opinion but that was my basis for my view.
Has somebody broke the blog ?
I would in my opinion say Legia Warsaw are favourites to win the tie they have a settled side a manager who knows his team while we have a new untried manager in Europe and we also have lost our captain to injury.Legia struggled at home against St.Pats in the last round but showed there strengths in the away leg and followed that up by a 3-1 away win in the league at the week-end so I for one am very cautious I hope Celtic can do it but make the Polish side the favourites. H.H.
Check the barcode.
If first 3 digits = 729 bhoycott the ISRAELI product.
MWD says AYE
Joe Filippis Haircut
Agree with you, this tie may have came just too soon for Ronny’s Celtic,
Big cup winners
I 100% know were you coming from regarding Europa league cos to be put it bluntly we will be whipping boys in CL this year with the squad unless we add 2/3 players and hold onto the rest. When you consider the money the rest of teams are spending it’s no big surprise.
BUT it’s the whole glamour, glitz and of course the money we make from competing in CL makes it vital and also keeps the fans and players buzzing until Xmas.
The thought of no CL, selling VVD and Forster has our whole season starting on an anti climax before it even begins properly.
Were are in for a helluva tie on wed nite. We may just have to settle for Europa league this year! HH
BRTH,
agreed, if Lenny had held on to a few for another season I expect we would have got further and probably made more from competition than transfers and that was the gamble
Joe fillipis haircut
I think so aswel. Soon as I heard about the loss of broony to injury a few weeks back I thought our chances were very slim then.
Not the greatest player we will ever have but it’s his influence on the rest of the team, experience, as well as driving team on is what we will miss the most.
Especially against a well tuned polish side who are a better side than any of the teams we faced last year.
That 4-5-1 mooted earlier is the way to go on Wednesday too. Keep the tie alive for the return. I’d play Griffiths as he will work.
BCW- I fear you are right but the Thursday / Sunday games rips ma knittin
Moonbeams,
I take it you also boycott products from the fascist Saudi Arabia? You should also boycott Britain as she sells arms to various dictators who kill women and children. How about American products? The Americans are killing innocent Muslims with drones.