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Brendan Rodgers extended his dismal Champions League private after Celtic were stunned by Lazio on Wednesday night.
Celtic’s idea had scored the winning goal in Glasgow when Luis Palma shot the second post in the 81st minute to make it 2-1. But his shot missed for offside and former Barcelona and Chelsea striker Pedro headed in Matteo Guendouzi’s ball. Centre in the 95th minute to win Lazio.
The frantic finish came after Kyogo Furuhashi and Matías Vecino exchanged goals in the first half. It was a hard blow for Celtic, bottom of Group E, after suffering consecutive defeats.
Pedro’s exact header also makes Rodgers statistically the worst coach to have controlled 20 games in the Champions League. In 3 seasons with Celtic and one with Liverpool, the balance of the 50-year-old coach is as follows: 20 games, two wins, five draws and thirteen defeats.
His last win came in September 2017, when Celtic beat Anderlecht 3-0 in his first spell at the club. The only other win was a 2–1 win over Ludogorets with Liverpool in September 2014, thanks to a Steven Gerrard penalty in the 93rd minute. .
Celtic are still hoping for a win at home in the Champions League, after 10 years without winning in front of their fans in the competition. Rodgers was understandably disappointed by the nature of the result against Lazio. He told TNT Sports: “Disappointed in terms of the result, of course, but also for the players, because they gave a lot. We scored a fantastic goal and were disappointed with the one we conceded.
“Apart from a chance at the start of the second half, it looked like we could pass and take it. Disappointed with the winning pass, you just have to secure the game at that time, it’s just game management. That moment of quality makes us lose the game.
“I can’t blame the players for the effort they put into the game. I can’t fault this players’ organization after what they’ve given. We’ve gotten more out of this game. “
Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley added: “To be honest, I’m quite disappointed. The match was in our hands until the end. Again, these are lovely moments. They gave us 4 games to fix things. I think we played well, but we still didn’t. ” It’s not enough. It’s also smart that we’ve played the Champions League. Acknowledging this delay is not pleasant. The fans have been amazing, as always. “
Rodgers has a longer record in the Europa League, where he has won 15 of his 36 games for Liverpool, Leicester and Celtic. They have also won 10 and drawn 4 of their 18 Champions League qualifiers, but have struggled to make an impact on the festival. adequate; Celtic finished last in their team in 2016/17 and second the following season the Northern Irishman.
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