Celtic let lead slip as Postecoglou’s side come undone in Leverkusen
Late lapses leave Europa League ambitions in ashes as Parkhead side squander chance
CELTC were denied both a famous triumph over Bayer Leverkusen and a place in the last 16 of the Europa League by a wretched late collapse on a night of incredible drama but ultimately bitter disappointment in the BayArena.
The visitors fought back heroically against the Bundesliga outfit after falling behind to an early Robert Andrich goal, took the lead and had appeared to be heading for their first-ever victory on German soil at the 13th attempt.
Josip Juranovic equalised with an audacious Panenkastyle penalty eight minutes before half-time and Jota put the visitors in front in the second half. The away team rode their luck at times and their goalkeeper Joe Hart produced a string of exceptional saves. But a victory would by no means have flattered them.
Ange Postecoglou took off James Forrest, Kyogo Furuhashi and Jota, his entire front three, in the last 20 minutes and put on Liel Abada, Albian Ajeti and Mikey Johnston. The home side rallied and secured a win, and their progress to the knockout rounds, when Andrich claimed a second and Moussa Diaby scored in the last eight minutes.
With Real Betis beating Ferencvaros in Spain and making sure of second spot in the section, Celtic will now have to content themselves with Europa Conference League football after Christmas. It is scant consolation for their manager, players and fans given the result they had been on the brink of in the closing stages.
Postecoglou made one change to the team that had taken to the field at Hampden for the Premier Sports Cup semifinal against St Johnstone five days earlier and, as expected, started Forrest ahead of Abada.
It was understandable that the vastly-experienced wide man was preferred to his young team-mate for such a demanding away match.
Leverkusen were once again without Lucas Alario and Patrik Schick, their Argentina and Czech Republic internationalists, and Gerardo Seoane fielded Amine Adli, the young French player who has been moved from the wing to attack in recent weeks, up front once again in their absence.
Adli, who had rounded off a 4-0 rout in Glasgow with his first goal for the club back in September, played as a lone striker in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Paulinho, Florian Wirtz and Diaby in the three-quarter line just behind him.
The sizeable travelling support were in fine voice long before kick-off and drowned out their counterparts with their singing despite being vastly outnumbered. Alas, a couple of flares were set off at kick-off.
Another UEFA fine may be forthcoming.
Celtic contained Leverkusen well without troubling them greatly in attack or asking any questions of their goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky early on. But the hosts had soon assumed control. When Leverkusen took the lead in the 16th minute it was no huge surprise. Still, the way Celtic fell behind will have angered Postecoglou. Wirtz played another corner in to the six-yard box, Andrich ran in from the edge of the area, out-jumped Stephen Welsh and glanced a downward header beyond Hart.
It was a move straight off the training ground and a fine finish. But why, given that the scorer had almost found the net in the same situation six minutes earlier, had nobody been alert to the threat the midfielder posed?
At that stage, it looked very much like it was going to be a grim evening for Celtic and another heavy defeat was coming their way. To their credit, they regrouped. David Turnbull found Furuhashi in dangerous positions in the final third with a couple of decent through balls and Forrest and Jota made their presence felt out wide whenever they received possession.
The latter played a dangerous delivery into the Leverkusen six-yard box eight minutes before half-time and Hradecky clattered Furuhashi as he attempted to punch it clear. The striker took his time to get back to his feet and required medical attention before returning to the field of play. By the time he did so, his side had been awarded a penalty. Greek
referee Anastasios Sidiropoulos reviewed the incident on the pitchside monitor, quickly and correctly decided the Japanese forward had been fouled, pointed to the spot and showed the offending player a yellow card.
Juranovic stepped forward to take it. The Croatian full-back was coolness personified; he dinked a cheeky effort down the middle and into the goal off the underside of the crossbar as Hradecky dived to his right.
Still, Celtic were lucky not to fall behind again just before the end of the first half. Diaby struck the stanchion with a powerful volley and Wirtz pounced on the rebound and struck the post when he really should have buried it.
Hart came to the rescue of the Scottish side nine minutes into the second half when he made a double save. He denied Diaby with his outstretched leg and then, just as Adli looked poised to bury into an empty net from a few yards out, somehow slithered across and retrieved the ball.
Remarkably, his team-mates forged in front two minutes after that scare. From a Hart throw, they broke upfield, Nir Bitton fed Furuhashi in the Leverkusen area and when Jeremie Frimpong slipped the fans’ favourite squared to Jota. The Portuguese kept his composure and rifled a powerful first-time shot into the bottom right corner.
The clamour for the Parkhead club to sign the Benfica loanee permanently will become deafening now. Postecoglou’s men were certainly not the same without him on the field.
Disaster struck in the 82nd minute when Nadiem Amiri laid the ball off to Andrich and his team-mate fired through Hart’s legs. Worse was to come with three minutes remaining. Wirtz chipped to Diaby who volleyed home to put his side 3-2 in front.