SC Braga shocked Celtic Park on Thursday night time, clinching a 2–0 win over Celtic on Matchday 2 of the UEFA Europa League league section and compounding the woes of Brendan Rodgers’ facet.
It was the Bhoys’ second straight dwelling recreation with out scoring following final weekend’s stalemate with Hibernian, and it leaves them nonetheless looking for a primary group-stage victory.
For Nigeria worldwide Kelechi Iheanacho, it was a bittersweet night. The Tremendous Eagles striker accomplished 90 minutes for the primary time in a Celtic shirt his fifth look in all competitions however noticed a possible landmark objective chalked off by VAR.
Braga break Celtic’s fortress
Braga, who’ve now made it two wins from two on this season’s Europa League, took the lead within the twentieth minute by way of a captain’s strike. Ricardo Horta unleashed a fierce long-range drive that flew past Kasper Schmeichel, silencing the Glasgow crowd.
Celtic thought they’d restored parity 5 minutes after the restart. Iheanacho reacted quickest to a unfastened ball, flicked it over a defender and drilled dwelling into the far nook; just for VAR to rule the objective out for a faint handball within the buildup.
Had the objective stood, the previous Leicester Metropolis ahead would have develop into the primary Celtic participant in 30 years to attain in his opening two main European appearances for the membership, in accordance with UEFA’s official data.
Celtic push, Braga punish
Rodgers’ males stored urgent. Lukáš Horníček produced good saves to disclaim Kieran Tierney and Sebastian Tounekti, however Braga stayed compact and lethal on the counter.
With 5 minutes remaining, the guests sealed the factors. Gabri Martínez compelled the ball over the road after it cannoned off him from shut vary, sending the travelling followers into raptures and leaving Celtic dealing with an uphill climb in Group E.
Iheanacho, who had discovered the online on Matchday 1 in opposition to Purple Star Belgrade, reduce a pissed off determine at full time, his disallowed strike encapsulating an evening of close to misses for Celtic.
Elsewhere on Matchday 2
Roma 0–1 Lille: Hákon Arnar Haraldsson punished a sixth-minute defensive slip at hand Roma their first Europa League dwelling defeat since October 2022.
Nottingham Forest 2–3 Midtjylland: The Danes spoiled Forest’s European homecoming with an early flurry, regardless of a late Chris Wooden penalty.
Feyenoord 0–2 Aston Villa: Targets from Emiliano Buendía and John McGinn gave Unai Emery’s males back-to-back group wins.
Fenerbahçe 2–1 Good: Turkish winger Kerem Aktürkoğlu scored a brace, his second and the membership’s four-hundredth European objective.
Panathinaikos 1–2 Go Forward Eagles: Milan Smit’s double in seven minutes gave the Dutch facet their first-ever Europa League win.
Porto 2–1 Crvena Zvezda: Rodrigo Mora struck an 89th-minute winner to proceed Porto’s late-goal heroics after their stoppage-time success on Matchday 1.
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Different outcomes: Viktoria Plzeň 3–0 Malmö, Ludogorets 0–2 Actual Betis, FCSB 0–2 Younger Boys, Bologna 1–1 Freiburg, Brann 1–0 Utrecht, Lyon 2–0 Salzburg, Maccabi Tel-Aviv 1–3 Dinamo Zagreb, Basel 2–0 Stuttgart, Sturm Graz 2–1 Rangers, Celta 3–1 PAOK, Genk 0–1 Ferencváros.
What it means
Braga’s victory takes them to 6 factors from two video games on the high of the part, whereas Celtic, with only one level to this point, are already below strain to qualify from Group E. Rodgers’ males will possible have to take most factors from their subsequent double-header if they’re to remain within the hunt for the knockout rounds.
For Iheanacho, the disallowed objective was a setback, however his full 90 minutes is an indication he’s starting to combine into Celtic’s system. The Tremendous Eagles striker stays key to the membership’s hopes of reviving their European marketing campaign.
