Celtic’s Jozo Simunovic looks dejected after their defeat against AEK Athens
Boyata in spotlight as defensive lapses kill off Bhoys’ Champions League hopes
CELTIC’S failure to reinforce their squad during the summer proved costly – to the tune of a lost £40 million – as suicide defending gifted AEK Athens victory.
Hopes of making a third successive appearance under Brendan Rodgers in the Champions League group stage came a cropper as goals from Rodrigo Galo and Marko Livaja put the Greeks through, despite Scott Sinclair giving Celtic hope with a header late in the contest.
The Parkhead board will now find themselves berated by their supporters, who have been uneasy for weeks about apparent indolence in transfer activity.
The result is also bound to spark fresh speculation about Rodgers’ future at the club.
ABSENCE
Celtic were on the back foot before kick-off, with Rodgers forced to address Dedryck Boyata’s absence because of injury or – as is widely presumed – an obdurate reaction to the club’s refusal to allow approaches from the likes of Sevilla, Lazio or Lyon and their rejection of a bid from Fulham.
The manager, without Kris Ajer because of suspension, was obliged to field a centre-back pairing of Jozo Simunovic and Jack Hendry.
Boyata, already the object of excoriation by many Hoops fans, was placed beyond the possibility of redemption within five minutes, when the Greek champions plundered their opening goal by romping straight through the open back door.
The damage began when Niklas Hult pushed up from defence and delivered a cut-back across the heart of the Celtic penalty area ahead of the advancing Galo, who should have been tracked by Olivier Ntcham.
Instead, the Brazilian found space
which Kieran Tierney could not close off before the AEK man shot home.
Celtic now had to score away against 11 men – a feat that eluded them at home to 10 in the first leg.
Without Odsonne Edouard – who did not take part in Monday’s training session – and with Moussa Dembele on the bench, the task looked vexatious and proved to be so.
By the interval, despite a spell of dominance, Celtic’s only clear chance had been a predatory effort from Leigh Griffiths, which he whipped across the AEK goalkeeper but also wide of the far post.
The cost of the striker’s failure to get on target was exacted when, as in the first half, AEK scored five minutes into the resumption of action.
Once more Celtic’s defensive vulnerability was exposed, in this instance by Livaja, when a free-kick from Galo was nodded back across the box by Vasilios Lampropoulos for the Croatian striker to find the mark at the far post.
With the possibility of extra-time now gone, Rodgers had to conjure two goals with a reshuffle and he responded with a double change, sending on Dembele for Mikael Lustig and Sinclair for Tom Rogic.
The ploy reduced the deficit in the 78th minute when Dembele fed Tierney for a cross which Sinclair headed beyond Vasilios Barkas to set up a gripping finale.
Celtic piled forward in search of
the goal that won have put them through, but the Greeks held out in the nervy final minutes, despite Simunovic coming agonisingly close to the crucial goal with a flick in the last of five added minutes.
Defeat in Greece rounded off a miserable few days for Rodgers after his side suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Hearts last Saturday in the Scottish Premiership.
And it seems the back-to-back reverses have put a huge amount of pressure on the former Liverpool boss, with some fans questioning his future at the club.
PROTESTS
One fan simply tweeted: “Sack Rodgers,” while another fan put blame on the board over a lack of signings, saying: “There has to be protests against the board now.
“This is Brendan Rodgers fifth transfer window and we’re playing a must win game with just two of his signings starting. That’s an absolute disgrace, totally unacceptable.”
Another vented their frustrations, saying: “Why do every time Celtic get in a position of power, the board get complacent and look what happens.
“Granted Europe league is our level. But f*** me to not strengthen that squad is criminal.
“Defence has been needing strengthened at that level for years.
Yet here we are”.
(© Daily Telegraph, London)