Celtic pay heavily for defensive blunders
THE days of Parkhead being a temple of doom for Europe’s finest are over. Since drawing with Manchester City in the Champions League when Brendan Rodgers was manager, Celtic have now lost 11 of their last 18 home matches in European competition. Fortress Parkhead is no more.
For Celtic, this was a night when football at this level felt like a brutal, punishing business. Engaged in a one-man war of attrition with keeper Lukas Hradecky, Kyogo Furuhashi’s return added pace and energy to their attack. Playing his first game in three weeks, however, the Japanese international couldn’t magic up the scoring touch which delivered seven goals before a knee injury.
But for Hradecky’s brilliance in goal, he could have had a hattrick. Instead Celtic ended the night on the end of a savage and sobering home defeat.
Bluntly, this is a team incapable of defending.
The concession of eight goals in two Group F games to Real Betis and Leverkusen leaves the Parkhead side pointless after two games.
Back-to-back games with Ferencvaros now look their best chance of salvation.
With a lengthy injury list and two wins in their last seven games, defeat to a team with six wins in their last eight away games in Europe was no real surprise.
In 18-year-old Florian Wirtz, Leverkusen have one of the emerging talents in German football. And the teenager’s nonchalant finish for the match-killing second goal after 35 minutes summed up why the days of opponents pitching up at Parkhead in a state of fear are well and truly over.
For 27 minutes the home side were going toe to toe with their Bundesliga opponents. Played like a game of ping pong, the action zinged from side to side. Where Celtic failed to convert some excellent chances, however, the visitors capitalised on every defensive mistake. And there were plenty of those.
The pendulum swung decisively after a moment of personal disaster for David Turnbull. Only the Scotland midfielder knows what he was trying to do when he completely missed his kick for a simple clearance, teeing up a simple cut back for Piero Hincapie to roll the ball into the net.
Eight minutes later another error allowed Leverkusen to double their lead. And this one summed up the growing doubts over the system fans have come to know as ‘Angeball.’
Key to Ange Postecoglou’s gameplan is the full-back coming infield to take the ball as if they were No 8s. Whether he has to the players to do it is another question.
When Anthony Ralston had his pocket picked by Hincapie in the middle of the pitch, Leverkusen broke on the left with lightning speed. Paulinho’s vision and pass picked out the wunderkid Wirtz at the back post and the finish was almost casual.
At 2-0 a full stadim fell silent, the air of expectation in the opening half hour replaced by a weary resignation.
Celtic supporters had seen this movie before.
Their night was summed up by the award of a harsh penalty for a handball against Cameron Carter Vickers after Joe Hart’s save from Jeremie Frimpong fell for Paulinho to smash the ball at goal.
On first view the ball appeared to strike the defender’s rib cage. Alario stroked the penalty low into the bottom corner for 3-0.
Celtic’s desperation shone through at times. The one-man wall of Hradecky saved a Jota header at the back post and Furuhashi slashed an easy rebound into the sidenetting.
Hart denied substitute Patrik Schick a fourth with a superb save from a downward header. He could do nothing to prevent the rampant Germans smashing a superb fourth into the roof of the from another substitute Amine Adli in the last act of the night. CELTIC: Hart, Ralston, Carter-Vickers, Starfelt, Montgomery, McGregor (McCarthy 66),Turnbull (Giakoumakis 74), Abada, Rogic (Bitton 66), Jota,F uruhashi (Ajeti 74). Subs Not Used: Scales, Barkas, Soro, Urhoghide, Bain, Shaw, Welsh. Booked: Rogic, Carter-Vickers. BAYER LEVERKUSEN: Hradecky, Frimpong, Tah, Hincapie, Bakker, Aranguiz (Amiri 65), Demirbay, Diaby (Bellarabi 66), Wirtz (Adli 74), Paulinho (Retsos 79), Alario (Schick 74). Subs Not Used: Kossounou, Sinkgraven, Lunev, Neutgens. Booked: Bakker. Goals: Hincapie 25, Wirtz 35, Alario 58 pen, Adli 90. Ref: Marco Di Bello (Italy).