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It wasn’t meant to matter much.
But what began as a fairly, lifeless affair in Glasgow’s east end, ended in the kind of bedlam which serves as a reminder to us all of why we fell in love with this game in the first place. It meant nothing. And yet it felt like everything. Almost enough to forget, for a while at least, that this entire Group E campaign has been a wholly miserable experience from the outset for a Celtic side which went into this one just to fulfil the fixture list. But they ended it with clenched fists, puffed chests and a major monkey off their back, with a first Champions League win on home soil for ten years.
And the consolation of proving to themselves that luck is not deserting them with the first sound of UEFA’s favourite anthem. For once in this competition, luck wore a green and white blouse in place of Gustaf Lagerbielke, among others, he made the impression with a definitive goal. The winner sparked celebratory scenes that made qualification look like it was on the line rather than confirming Celtic’s elimination.
Luis Palma’s penalty in the first half gave them the lead, but it was like a desolate old story that repeated itself when Feyenoord equalized nine minutes from time. And yet, on a night that defied all established logic, Lagerbielke came off the bench to claim the goal. role of Celtic’s most unlikely hero.
Lately, increasingly, Rodgers’ team choices feel like something of a coded cry for help. But when Stephen Welsh’s call appeared on that team’s final sheet, the message lost all its subtlety. With Nat Phillips and Gustaf Lagerbielke on the bench, it was Rodgers who stood on the sidelines, waving both arms in the air as he shouted “Mayday Mayday” in the directors’ box.
No matter what he said in public, it’s highly unlikely (when he was lured here this summer, promising to make Celtic a credible European force) that he was making plans to end his first crusade with a Welsh couple and Liam Scales. in the center of the defense. In fact, it doesn’t make any sense.
And yet, admittedly, the two men were probably unfazed by the challenge and were able to temporarily establish themselves in a likely forged partnership, as Celtic did what Celtic do on nights like this. They started quite brilliantly and ruled the process for much of the first 15 minutes, but it didn’t seriously upset the visitors.
It would have been another if Callum McGrgegor had opted for a little more force and direction in 10 minutes when he fired the first shot of the afternoon past goalkeeper Justin Bijlow. Or if Kyogo Furuhashi hadn’t inflated his lines when he pounced on a pretty sensational 50-yard ball from Scales, but smothered a shot into Bijlow’s chest.
But chances followed one after another and soon after flashes of danger appeared at the other end of the pitch, notably with Feyenoord’s prolific Mexican leader Santiago Gimenez and young midfielder Quinten Timber. Timber, of course, looked to cause no problems, each time winning the ball and 21 minutes later he combined superbly with Luka Ivanusec to send Gimenez into the Celtic defence, surrounding Hart and scoring a quiet finish into an empty net.
At first it looked like a killing blow had just been delivered, but Celtic were saved from a linesman’s flag and VAR proved that the referee had done it right. Soon after, Gimenez qualified for the second half and timed his run perfectly. This time, he shot straight at Hart, who made a great save to keep him out.
Still, it all seemed terribly familiar. Until, suddenly, an absolutely unforeseen turn arrives. It’s Scales who also helped achieve this, winning a penalty by beating Ramiz Zerrouki as the two battled, waiting for a corner from Celtic’s left. The Irishman fell to the ground in front of French referee Benoit Bastien, who did not hesitate to point to the point.
Palma intervened, put him directly into the center of the field and Celtic went 1-0 up. Yes, the Dutch responded forcefully. Hart had to avoid Giménez’s attempt with an outstretched boot and, on the rebound, Timber saw the shot knocked down.
Then captain Lutsharel Geertruida dipped a toe into the base of Hart’s right post at the end of a dazzling mix of one-touch passes. And yet, Celtic survived. Maybe.
But it was still a refreshing replacement for speed. It is possible that the score was 2-0 early in the second half, when Palma tried his luck again, this time at the far post, after clever Mikey Johnston plays down the right for Celtic. Yes, the Honduran’s shot deflected off Bijlow’s right foot, but despite that, it was an early sign of Celtic’s eagerness to get the job done.
Feyenoord, however, had other ideas. For a long period of time, they came in gigantic numbers, with all sorts of threats, but Celtic’s defence stood firm in the face of that. The visitors came closest when Ivanusec’s deflected shot spun through the air but landed on the side of Hart’s left post, with the goalkeeper scratching the air.
With energy levels noticeably dropping, Rodgers turned to his bench in 67 minutes, replacing Kyogo with Hyeong-gyu Oh and Johnston with James Forrest.
Then, as if he hadn’t played for a night, Rodgers replaced the tired Welshman with Lagerbielke.
And, soon after, Feyenoord was the point when replacement Yankuba Minteh fired a low shot from 16 yards after Gimenez had fired a ball from the right, into the same domain where the Welsh had defended so deftly for most of the game. Minutes remaining, Arne Slot forced his players back into position, feeling like they still had their paints prepared for them.
And yet, there is one final twist to come. Well, of course there were. And it was Lagerbielke who provided it, emerging towards the far post to head in Matt O’Riley’s cross from close range in the dying seconds. Maybe it didn’t mean anything. But he likes everything.