HOOPS THEY DID IT AGAIN
Who’d have guessed it.. Celtic’s sieve costs dearly in Seville
IT WAS a case of more pain in Spain and sorrow in Seville for Celtic.
Yet it could have been so different for Ange Postcoglou’s patched up side had they not blown a two goal lead.
Albian Ajeti and Josip Juranovic’s penalty had put the Hoops in the driving seat but their defensive frailties came back to haunt them again.
A double from Juanmi and goals from Juan Miranda and
Borja Iglesias gave the Spanish the win – although Anthony Ralston’s late goal ensured that it was a nervier end than it should have been for the locals.
Ismaila Soro went into the book early for an early foul on Nabil Fekir.
The Seville sun was beating down but it was Celtic who turned up the early heat and took a deserved lead.
David Turnbull fed Jota. He beat his full-back and put in a delightful cross that Ajeti bundled into the net in the 13th minute.
Referee Fran Jovic initially whistled for a foul but the VAR assistant intervened. Joe Hart got down well to deny Andres Guardado and then Soro was lucky
not to walk for a clumsy challenge on Joaquin. Celtic were delighted with the Croatian referee again when they hit with a superb counter that saw Ajeti nip in ahead of Claudio Bravo who took him down.
Juranovic was an unlikely taker but he coolly stepped up to slam the ball high and confidently into the top right-hand corner of the net. The
Hoops looked to be on course for their first win in Spain after a wait of almost 60 years – but that was to quickly change.
Nabil Fekir played a ball into the box and Miranda got a break when it fell into his path as he burst into the box and slotted it low under Hart in the 32nd minute.
Borja Iglesias then wasn’t picked up as he broke the offside trap and he unselfishly squared to give Juanmi the easiest of tap-ins for 2-2.
It took just five minutes after the restart for Betis to inevitably go ahead. Miranda found Sergio Canales and he was given too much time to put in a cross for Iglesias to knock home. Then a corner was only half-cleared and it fell to Juanmi just inside the box and he arrowed a shot in off Hart’s right-hand post.
Celtic rallied and Ralston headed home David Turnbull’s free kick for a goal put a different reflection on the scoreline if not the game.