Bhoy oh boy, an unforgettable night for the delirious Celtic fans.
They went from feeling changed to jubilation after a breathless saw sealing a Champions League knockout, helped also through Arsenal’s thrashing victory over Dinamo Zagreb.
There were 86 minutes on the clock when the boys’ hapless defender, Loris Benito, put the ball into his own net to seal a triumphant victory in Celtic’s biggest euro of thirteen years.
Surprisingly, Kyogo Furuhashi had a hat-trick of denied targets and Arne Engels stored a penalty, all in the first half.
An impressive and impressive atmosphere greeted the players.
No1 Kasper Schmeichel had in the past shown a contract extension until 2026, but just 25 seconds after kick-off, he was making a pass straight away.
Schmeichel thanked Stopper Auston Trusty after just 3 minutes, as Cork perfectly placed to erase a damaging cut through Jaouen Hadjam that had been cleared in the box.
It’s a big early caution for the hoops, with 54,000 enthusiasts in the house expecting nothing less than the mandatory win.
The movement of Daizen Maeda and Furuhashi a primary thorn in the youngsters’ defence and after seven minutes, the ultra-sharp striker had clinically sent a shot past Marvin Keller after a penetrating Arne Engels across the ball.
But an offside flag denied it, and for the first time.
A collar by Callum McGregor, destined for Furuhashi, artificially to the merit of Nicolas Kuhn as he came here from the right. But instead of a first down, he tried to be smart, beating a defender too much despite everything he looked at to shoot that was deflected.
Schmeichel had to be alert in the 19th minute, keeping an eye out for a brutally hit shot, pushing the right-foot shot away from distance through Joel Monteiro and firing it in.
Maeda took down the box of a clumsy 23-minute challenge from Zachary Athekame and saw them diced. But reference Rohit Saggi wasn’t interested in the fierce penalty calls.
Keller at his most productive moment in a while later, when Celtic turned the screw, well and based a shot from Hatate Reo.
Then, Kuhn seemed to miss a goalkeeper with a shining cross of Engels but he was offside.
One purpose felt inevitable and Celtic, they gave it in the 31st minute: McGregor Pick-Picking Cheikh Niasse, then locating Furuhashi, who returned brilliantly with his left foot from 18 yards.
But no, Whistler Saggi’s attention attracted to Var’s assistant Marco Di Bello for an obvious foul through McGregor in the dotted midfield.
Sure enough, after a monitor check, Saggi turned it off, and that call was correct.
Absolute agony for the hoops, but, surprisingly, there is still another extinguished 3 minutes later.
A free-flowing move involving Engels, Kuhn, Hatate and Maeda culminated with the latter generating a brilliant ball through the box from six yards for Furuhashi to take advantage of.
Still, however, there is more torment to come.
Eight minutes from the half, the youngsters, ninth in their high flight of 12 groups, scared the Celts, a very good cross from Atekame that requires a brilliant defense of Alistair Johnston at the far post with Monteiro hidden.
Celtic then received a 40-minute penalty after sloppy paints through the Darian males, first a heavy pitch into the box and then dressing Greg Taylor, who had due. It’s a transparent kick.
But Engels denied Keller, who read it right, saving low to his left, and a glorious possibility was gone.
Celtic was now officially doing a primary hard painting of a tie they had.
Keller stored Johnston’s and then saw Furuhashi’s fire wide from close range. Then, the goalkeeper rejected the hatate an indistinct phase of action.
Young children put into account, since Celtic enthusiasts began to have the feeling that it will be one of the nights.
Maeda had been worried about the thickness of the maximum and 3 minutes at the time he headed after Keller had defended a shot from Engels.
He relentless from Celtic attacks and Keller then separated a shot from Maeda from a close diversity before diving spectacularly to bet on an effort from Callum McGregor.
From Engels’ corner, Trusty sped up and hit the crossbar with a header.
It was agony for the hoops, but suddenly they needed Schmeichel to save them not once twice in a matter of seconds.
Each time he showed very good reflexes to reject the shots in diversity in a close diversity.
Engels was hooked in the 69th minute and looked dejected as the draw has become very tense for his teammates and supporters who, to this day, may not hide their exasperation with each and every one out of place or a failed step.
Celtic was also now in the territory of being led to the fool with the little kids, former Rangers striker Cedric Itten off the bench and mocking, to believe.
Hoops captain McGregor exceptional and did everything he could to get the team going.
And just as they seemed to have lost their way, they were given the purpose of sending Parkhead Wild.
With 4 minutes remaining on the Hatate’s 90th slide pass, he saw Sub-Adam Idah beat his marker in the box and shoot himself a shot that Keller pushed away, only to see the ball slip away from the unfortunate captain Benito and into the net.
It was a moment, and there were still moments later, as Maeda received a red card directly after a var check with Mohamed Ali Camara after it was reserved for her in the first place.
But the 10-man Celtic, with the past due to Schmeichel Heroic, maintained a difficult result on a night of biting that absolutely biting.
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