AJETI SHOWS REAL MENACE
THE past five days have seen Celtic striker Albian Ajeti elevated by necessity from forgotten man to main man. Prior to scoring twice in Saturday’s 3-0 home win over Ross County, the Swiss forward (below) had spent just 53 minutes on the park all season.
But with Japan international forward Kyogo Furuhashi sidelined with a knee injury and new Greek striker Giorgos Giakoumakis not up to speed, Ajeti was handed the chance to shine in Seville. A very different player to Kyogo, Ajeti only touched the ball 15 times against County on Saturday but twice found the net. If six goals in 30 games last season was a poor return for Celtic’s £5million outlay to West Ham, Ajeti is undoubtedly a lethal finisher if given good service. He also looks visibly leaner these days and it is clear the stop-start nature of his Celtic career has not eroded his self-confidence.
‘It has been tough but I’ve never lost my head or my mind,’ Ajeti told BT Sport before kick-off in Spain. ‘I’ve always been focused on doing my job. Everyone knows I’m a hard-working player. I don’t need to prove anything to anyone. I know what I am capable of.’
Ajeti’s self-belief proved well-founded as he made himself a real nuisance to the Real Betis defence in the early stages before netting the opening goal. A lightning Celtic break up the park by Jota ended with the impressive Portuguese winger playing a ball into the centre.
Ajeti got the final touch and, after an interminable wait for VAR to prove it had not struck his hand, the goal stood.
A penny for the thoughts of Real Betis boss Manuel Pellegrini who signed Ajeti for West Ham in 2019 but saw him fail to find the net for the Hammers.
Ajeti then cleverly won a penalty after exchanging passes with David Turnbull before being taken out by goalkeeper Claudio Bravo. Josip Juranovic drove a fine high penalty into the top-left corner. A thrilling first half saw Juan Miranda and Juanmi hit back to draw the La Liga side level. However, after the interval Borja Iglesias and a second goal from Juanmi secured three points for Betis, despite Anthony Ralston’s late consolation.
As Celtic faded as an attacking force after the break, Ajeti was quieter, missing an early half-chance before being correctly denied a second goal by an offside flag.
There is no doubt that Celtic missed Kyogo’s relentless harrying of opposition defences in the second half. Yet while Ange Postecoglou will again lament his side’s defending, he will be relatively pleased by the contribution of his Swiss striker. This was a very decent first-half showing from Ajeti, who scored his maiden European goal in a city famed for its La Maestranza bullring.
But it does seem unlikely that the Celtic manager will find himself impaled on the horns of a dilemma when his other strikers return to full fitness.