No European football after Christmas. Two 1—1 draws against Shakhtar the only points we’ve taken in the group. But no disgrace.
Mykhailo Mudryk tore our defence to shreds any time he ran at it. He scored the equaliser after Georgios Giakoumakis gave us a first-half lead. Reo Hatate and Josip Juranovich tried to get in his way, but his shot from outside the box had the power to beat Hart in a second-half performance that the Ukrainian team had begun to dominate.
But it could and should have been much worse. Mudryk’s personal battle against our defence didn’t end in a draw, but capitulation. With fifteen minutes remaining, Carter-Vickers we often hear is no slouch. He couldn’t catch Mudryk in a fifty-fifty ball, even to foul him. Hart came out to block, Murdryk squared the ball and that was it we were a goal down. Sikan, who scored a hat-trick in his last game, took a heavy touch, but even then it’s an empty net and open goal. The ball trickled past the post for a bye-kick. Ex-Rangers player, Van Vossen’s miss at the back post was mentioned by commentator Chris Sutton, but he said this was much worse.
Celtic players have been wasteful in front of goal. Kyogo played a bit deeper here. He was being played in by Giakoumakis, just before he was taken off in a triple substituion. With just the keeper to beat, he scuffed his shot. Wasteful.
Giakoumakis showed how it is done. He gave us the lead after 34 minutes and his goal to game ratio is better. Haksabanovic was the creator. He took most of the early free kicks and corners and didn’t get them beyond the first defender. A problem that continued even with O’Riley, Mooy and Turnbull taking the free kicks. But here Haksabanovic’s ball into the box was played by Abada who got in front of the defender. His shot was blocked. Time slowed down and the ball sat just outside the six-yard box. The Greek striker doesn’t miss from there. He powered it into the corner of the net and the stadium erupted.
Matt O’Riley had a few shots from outside the box, but just before half-time we had a let off. Mudryk for the first time got beyond the Celtic defence. He tried to lift his shot over Hart, but the Celtic keeper stayed tall and the shot was blocked.
With the game at 1—1 and 15 minutes to go, Celtic had more of the ball and created a few half-chances. Matt O’Riley just before full time, for example, bent the ball the wrong side of the post. Giakoumakis also slid in to another pass. He hit the post, but the referee had already blown for a foul. It wouldn’t have counted.
Celtic should have won in Poland. With that extraordinary miss, they should have lost here. Honours even. Mykhaylo Mudryk was better than anybody else on the park. Sometimes it’s that simple. We go to the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium bottom of the group with nothing to lose but our pride. Where have I heard that before?