Lazio strike 95th-minute winner to stun Celtic

Lazio strike 95th-minute winner to stun Celtic

BBC SPORT

Celtic endured late heartbreak as Pedro’s 95th-minute winner consigned the defending Scottish champions to another Champions League defeat.

Kyogo Furuhashi showed great composure to slide in his first goal in the competition to ignite a rowdy Celtic Park early on.

However, indecision in the home defence was punished midway through the first half as Matias Vecino was afforded space to glance in a header.

Brendan Rodgers’ side thought they had snatched a late winner through Luis Palma only for the video assistant referee (VAR) to intervene, and Celtic’s anguish would grow further as the Italians dramatically struck with just seconds left.

With Atletico Madrid beating Feyenoord 3-2 in Spain, it means Celtic, who have now not won at home in the Champions League for 10 years, sit bottom of Group E with no points after two games before a double-header against the Spaniards.

Nightmarish traffic around Glasgow’s east end meant a fair few fans were not in their seats for kick-off. They missed Celtic motoring to quite a start under the Champions League lights.

Little surprise then when the home side accelerated to just the start their early play deserved. Matt O’Riley’s pass into Kyogo was perfect for the Japanese to hit the ball underneath keeper Ivan Provedel.

The Italians flattered to deceive in the game’s first quarter, but they eventually awoke to peg their hosts back; Vecino’s header creeping agonisingly over the line by a foot or so before Hart clawed it clear.

Both sides exchanged chances before the break, but the visitors should have taken the lead five minutes after the restart. Felipe Anderson raced in on the right side of the box, only to hesitate and harmlessly prod an effort wide.

The bumper home crowd were then nearly celebrating another Celtic goal. Reo Hatate’s low shot from an O’Riley free-kick lay off brought a smart save from Provedel before right-back Alastair Johnston blasted over. You had the sense something was coming.

And in the 81st minute, Celtic Park thought that something had arrived. Palma’s snapshot found the bottom corner with a fine finish , only for a prolonged VAR check to bring wild celebrations to a shuddering halt.

While that felt bad for the home support, things would get worse in the dwindling seconds. The returning Cameron Carter-Vickers was robbed of possession, with Matteo Guendouzi’s perfect cross being nodded back across Hart and into the bottom corner by Pedro.

Player of the match – Luis Alberto

Frustration the feeling for Celtic – analysis.

The overriding feeling here is one of frustration for Celtic.

They started like a house on fire, got the goal their early energy deserved, then fell out of things for a while to allow Lazio to level. Never outclassed, they matched the Serie A side after the break and thought they had taken three precious Champions League points for the first time in a decade when Palma blasted in.

Denied by VAR, Celtic not only failed to find a winner, they couldn’t keep Lazio out.

More Champions League pain for Celtic, who have a difficult double…

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Lazio strike 95th-minute winner to stun Celtic

 

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