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As the camera zoomed in on the injured figure of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the big man shook his head. After 13 minutes, Celtic were two goals ahead of Serie A leaders AC Milan at the San Siro and Zlatan couldn’t believe it. In truth I was not alone
Twelve months ago, Neil Lennon’s team secured a place in the knockout stages of the Europa League by beating Lazio and securing their first victory on Italian soil.
And the first goals from Tom Rogic and Odsonne Edouard should have been the second.
However, neither the leadership nor its subsequent collapse came as a great surprise. These days is what they do.
The Scottish champions were up two in Lille and tied. They took the lead in Prague and lost 4-1. This game marked the first time they lost three games in a row for 13 years and followed a now familiar and embarrassing pattern. They lose a goal and retreat as fast as a legal challenge from Donald Trump.
The frustration is that even when they fell 3-2 behind early in the second half with an impressive solo goal from Jens Petter Hauge, they played reasonably well. For Neil Lennon there is ample evidence of a team somewhere. Whether the manager under fire can get him out is the most important question. Based on current evidence, the answer is a resounding no.
At the end of a game that promised a lot, their statistics in this group of the Europa League read five played, 17 goals lost. The worst defensive record of the 48 teams left in the competition, this Parkhead team couldn’t keep the elephants out of a phone booth
Twelve months since * that * triumph over Lazio, the memories of Olivier Ntcham’s winner at the Olympic Stadium in Rome persist. Less remembered is the series of outstanding stops made by Fraser Forster in the 90 minutes leading up to that date.
Lennon’s team have now won just two wins in their last 11 games and the loss of the former England goalkeeper has been a very significant factor. In search of a replacement, Celtic came out and spent £ 5 million on Vasilis Barkas, a goalkeeper who now betrays every reflex from a three-week-old corpse.
Was Celtic always expected to lose this? Of course. The luck of the two clubs that entered this game could hardly have been tougher. Milan had lost just one in their last 33 games, making their best start in a Serie A game. By contrast, Celtic are in the middle of a civil war with their own fans.
But in a pregame interview, Lennon challenged his team to regain some pride and respectability. And after starting the game like a train, they threatened to answer the call and then wasted all the good work with a more catastrophic and disappointing defense of the goal. It is becoming the pattern of the season.
The opportunity was there when Milan started the game in a stupor. Celtic could, should have been three or four up in jig time.
They claimed the lead after seven minutes, Milan defending in a manner more often seen in their opponents.
Guardian Gianluigi Donarumma’s short pass caused a terrible control from Rune. Tom Rogic took control of the ball at the edge of the area, took a bunt and simply passed the ball low to the corner of the net. Unexpectedly, Celtic had the upper hand.
The visitors played with confidence and enthusiasm. Rogic landed a blow inches from the stud. Callum McGregor forced a superb save from Donnarumma when he should have busted the net
Against a Milan that had started the match in third gear, the visitors finally doubled their lead in the 13th minute. It was a sublime shot, a beautiful reverse pass dressed up as Ryan Christie playing Odsonne Edouard. The Frenchman made a delicious dinked shot to lift the ball into the net.
When Edouard scored another exquisite goal in Celtic Prague’s advantage it didn’t last long. So it was here. You would find more durability these days in a melted gelatin.
Usually the damage was largely self-inflicted. The first of Milan’s two goals in two minutes came from Ryan Christie launching a direct free from the edge of the area. There was never any doubt that it was an opportunity for Milan. Hakan Calanoghlu’s free kick was a decent effort, but Vasilis Barkas’ efforts to stop it were nil. The £ 5 million Greek’s positioning was dubious, his feet are static as the ball snapped into the net for 2-1.
In a minute AC Milan was level. There was no surprise, no hint of shock.
This is what Celtic does now. Placed under the slightest pressure, they fold.
Once again, the defense was abject. Jens Petter Hauge, a thorn in his side all night, had all the time in the world to get into the penalty area. His cut fell to Ante Rebic. Four Celtic defenders had a chance to clear before Kris Ajer and Callum McGregor got in each other’s way and Castillejo Azuaga swept a deflected shot off the bottom of the bar.
The comfortable start had really been too good to be true.
From such a comfortable start, the Scottish champions moved suddenly. The crisis came out of nowhere. Barkas was about to put his team in trouble with a bad touch of a ball that bounced minutes later and Milan had the smell of blood in their noses.
It wasn’t a surprise when Hauge put Milan in the lead with a ridiculously easy goal five minutes into the second half. The attacker started on the left touchline and walked past three or four players gracefully without hindrance before hitting a measured ground and finished in the bottom corner of the net. Signed for four million euros, the Norwegian was outstanding.
In an offensive sense, Celtic almost bounced back. Jeremie Frimpong cut in and dragged a left foot shot off the near post. With 17 minutes to go, Ryan Chrsite sent a 25-yard curly free throw into the top corner. Donnarumma somehow managed to throw his giant frame into the top corner of the goal and saved magnificently. It was the great salvation that Celtic needed from Barkas when the score was still 2-0.
For Celtic, the night ended with the same old story. In defense weak, timid, cowardly.
Brilliant as he was, Hauge had carte blanche to cut from the left eight minutes every now and then to beat Hatem Elhamed with embarrassing ease before giving a deft pass to Brahim Diaz to skillfully finish off the hapless Barkas 4-2.
The third time they have sent in four goals in five group matches, Celtic now need to score five to have any chance of winning a match. At the San Siro? Not likely.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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