BUT SHAKHTAR SOMEHOW SCRAPE A POINT
Hoops show that they’re a force to be reckoned with 1 1
ANGE POSTECOGLOU’S men are up and running with a point after a strong show in Warsaw and, really, it should have been all three.
Having bossed the Group F contest and taken the lead through a Reo Hatate-induced own goal, they were made to pay for one slack period before half-time where an equaliser was conceded to Shakhtar superkid Mykhailo Mudryk.
It was a ruthless setback and such a tough pill to swallow for Postecoglou.
A rake of chances created on top of their goal. Golden chances missed at the finale by subs Giorgis Giakoumakis and Daizen Maeda.
Humbling
Shakhtar’s 4-1 humbling of RB Leipzig in Germany singled them out as dangers to all.
But Celtic had every answer to them. Barring that 15-minute period leading to half-time, the game belonged to them.
Just as they had done against Real Madrid in the opener, they started with real purpose.
They worked their hosts from the off with Matt O’Riley setting the tone by feeding Kyogo Furuhashi for a strike that keeper Anatoliy Trubin saved.
Saed Haksabanovic helped setup Greg Taylor for a crossshot that whizzed just wide of the target and O’Riley also headed a Jota cross into the arms of Trubin.
by Craig SWAN
Haksabanovic was the surprise in the starting line-up. Although Kyogo’s return at the expense of Giakoumakis was expected, the 23-year-old’s inclusion ahead of Liel Abada and Maeda came was more of an eye-opener.
The Montenegrin soon proved that call bang on as he created an opener after 11 minutes.
Josip Juranovic’s crossfield ball caught over-committed Shakhtar short of numbers as Haksabanovic advanced.
Hatate made a supporting run and, when the pass was rolled into his path, the Japanese knocked it goalwards.
Defender Artem Bondarenko got a touch on it as it went past Trubin and Kyogo left it to roll into the empty net.
Moritz Jenz then fired a strike which Trublin saved with his legs and, approaching half an hour, it couldn’t have been going better.
Shakhtar had shown against
Leipzig their lethal ability on the counter and they did so again to equalise with their first real attack.
Mudryk was set free around the back of Juranovic and there was an inevitability about his composed and lifted finish which beat Joe Hart and crashed into the roof of the net.
It was a sucker punch and, for a short spell, Celtic wobbled. Marian Shved had the ball in the net moments after the leveller only for the officials to rule out the effort for the ball being out of play.
Maeda replaced Haksabanovic for the restart and, with the Portuguese switching sides, he had another couple of strikes blocked upon resumption.
Tempo
Jota had really upped his tempo and a dazzling 45-yard run eluding a clutch of defenders ended with a shot from inside the box deflected over the bar.
O’Riley had a couple of efforts from the edge of the box before making way for David Turnbull, who immediately had an impact with a strike over before Jota embarked on an another mazy into the box. This time the connection wasn’t clean and smuggled behind.
They pushed and pushed, but it just wouldn’t come. SHAKHTAR: Trubin, Taylor, Bondar, Matviyenko, Konoplya Stepanenko, Shved (Petryak 61), Bondarenko (Djurasek 74) Sudakov (Ocheretko 78), Mudryk, Zubkov (Traore 61).
CELTIC: Hart, Juranovic, Carter-Vickers, Jenz, Taylor McGregor, Hatate (Turnbull 68), Haksabanovic (Maeda 46) O’Riley (Mooy 68), Jota (Abada 86), Furuhashi (Giakoumakis 68).
Ref: Glenn Nyberg (Sweden).