Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
EMVAROSING
Hoops left red-faced after Champions League shocker
A GUY who played for Ronny Deila turned up on a night Celtic turned in a performance reminiscent of their old boss’ most painful moments.
Only this time the Hoops are out of the Champions League even earlier than Ronny managed.
The group stage is gone before it even came into sight. And Celtic have no one to blame but themselves.
Tokmac Nguen, at Stromsgodset in Norway with Deila, pounced on the counter-attack with 15 minutes to go but the warning signs were there all evening.
David Siger’s shock seventhminute opener came from a corner pinched on the break as well.
Celtic were in charge most of the night but playing without a striker backfired in the worst possible way.
Neil Lennon opted to go with Ryan Christie up top with Odsonne Edouard ruled out.
In fairness, the attacker gave it his best shot and got his side back into the second qualifying round clash.
But too often there was nothing to hit and nothing to make the ball stick.
Frenchman Edouard’s tweaked thigh was a sore blow in more ways than one. With still no Leigh Griffiths, Lennon could have lobbed in Patryk Klimala or Albian Ajeti but he went with Christie and left £9million worth of striking talent on the bench.
Lennon felt the pair were not up to speed but it was another reminder the path to the group stage can be a truly rocky road.
It took just seven minutes to hit the kind of speed bump that rattles every bone in the body.
Callum Mcgregor’s ball inside was cut out at one end of the pitch and the break was lightning.
Nguen raced free and forced Scott Brown to scramble back in the nick of time. But the ball dropped to Siger and, with no one pressing, he unleashed a rocket into the bottom corner.
Christie’s long-range drive was deflected just wide, a superb touch and volley spun just over and a backheel from Greg Taylor’s dangerous low cross just needed a bit more meat on the bone.
Lennon’s side kept banging on the door after the interval. Mohamed Elyounoussi looked a man on a mission, demanding the ball, driving inside, grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck. Then finally stand-in striker Christie got a break. He pulled the trigger and the deflection worked as the ball looped off Adnan Kovacevic and over Denes Dibusz. The keeper was pawing at fresh air again moments later. It defied belief how Olivier Ntcham’s screamer of a volley clattered off the underside of the bar and spun out to safety.
Christie was denied by Dibusz again and Christopher Jullien (left) nodded over as Celtic went in for the kill.
But the visitors were still dangerous on the counter. Hatem Abd Elhamed should have cut out the first ball but the defender got himself in a mess and could only watch in horror as Nguen netted. Celtic hunted for another way back, with Ntcham’s drive clawed away by Dibusz.
The Champions League was the dream. This was a nightmare.