With Hearts’ Conference League campaign yet to get underway, Celtic were the sole Scottish side in European action this week as they welcomed Hungarian champions Ferencváros to Celtic Park for the opening game of their Europa League campaign.
The Hoops were looking to bounce back from their heavy defeat to Rangers and get their European campaign off to a positive start, but defensive mistakes would ultimately cost Martin O’Neill’s side as they fell to a disappointing 3-1 defeat.
Hoops Suffer Europa League Defeat at Home
Celtic started the game brightly and looked to take control early on, with James Forrest causing problems down the left and Camilo Duran going close inside the opening ten minutes.
However, it would be the visitors who took the lead after 20 minutes when Kieran Tierney failed to deal with a cross, allowing Bamidele Yusuf’s effort to take a final touch off Liam Scales before nestling into the back of the net.
The Hoops continued to create chances as they searched for an equaliser, with Haissem Hassan and Callum McGregor both going close.
Their pressure eventually paid off just before half-time when Tierney drove a low cross into the box which Mika Baur guided home to bring Celtic level.
However, the hosts’ joy would last less than two minutes.
Yusuf again caused problems down the left, beating Tierney and McGregor and setting up Kristoffer Zachariassen to flick the ball past goalkeeper Viljami Sinisalo, restoring Ferencváros’ lead just before the break.
Things went from bad to worse for Celtic shortly after half-time.
The Hoops lost possession cheaply, allowing former Celtic player Daniel Arzani to collect the ball before smashing a brilliant strike into the top corner to make it 3-1.
Celtic pushed for a way back into the game and created several chances late on, with Benjamin Nygren curling a strike wide and Sebastian Tounekti testing goalkeeper Adam Varga, who stood firm to deny the hosts.
The final whistle brought an end to a frustrating night for Celtic, and piled more pressure onto Martin O’Neill and his coaching staff in what was undoubtedly a difficult week for the club.
With seven league-phase games still to play, the Hoops will have plenty of opportunities to recover, but they will need to improve quickly with their European campaign now underway.
Featured Image Credit: Thomas Nugent via Wikimedia Commons
2nd year journalism and sport student at the University of Stirling, with a particular interest in music and sports. Sport editor for Brig Newspaper.
