Martin O'Neill's Celtic edge closer to Europa League playoff spot as they overcome 21st-placed Utrecht.
A spirited performance from Celtic at home saw off the Dutch challengers 3-1 in a thrilling contest, with Martin O'Neill's side securing their place in the playoff phase of the competition. The victory marked a welcome turn of fortunes for the Scottish champions under the guidance of O'Neill, who has been instrumental in steering them towards the knockout stage.
Celtic dominated possession from the outset and took the lead through Benjamin Nygren's 19th-minute strike, which flew past goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas after a rare cross from Kieran Tierney. The Utrecht captain Nick Viergever's mishandling of Maeda's subsequent shot resulted in the Dutch side conceding an own goal. Arne Engels sealed Celtic's advantage with a penalty just before halftime, only for De Wit to reduce the deficit with a clever 20-yard curler.
The second-half proceedings proved a more cautious affair as Celtic sought to preserve their lead. However, Adrian Blake and Auston Trusty both had the ball denied by Kasper Schmeichel at various stages, leaving O'Neill's men with a fragile lead. The introduction of sub Arijanet Muric on 57 minutes appeared to shore up Celtic's defence but it was Trusty who ultimately proved decisive, heading in an Engels corner in the 73rd minute.
O'Neill hailed his side's resilience and praised the performance as "terrific". This triumph marked a significant milestone in Celtic's Europa League campaign, and with victories over Utrecht and Falkirk on the horizon, confidence levels among supporters should be rising. While O'Neill acknowledges that much work remains to be done, this victory has given hope to an anxious fanbase that their team is capable of overcoming adversity.
The stage is now set for Celtic to face either Ferencvaros or Stuttgart in the playoff phase. With O'Neill at the helm, Celtic are well-placed to make meaningful progress in the competition and potentially secure a spot in European competitions next season.
A spirited performance from Celtic at home saw off the Dutch challengers 3-1 in a thrilling contest, with Martin O'Neill's side securing their place in the playoff phase of the competition. The victory marked a welcome turn of fortunes for the Scottish champions under the guidance of O'Neill, who has been instrumental in steering them towards the knockout stage.
Celtic dominated possession from the outset and took the lead through Benjamin Nygren's 19th-minute strike, which flew past goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas after a rare cross from Kieran Tierney. The Utrecht captain Nick Viergever's mishandling of Maeda's subsequent shot resulted in the Dutch side conceding an own goal. Arne Engels sealed Celtic's advantage with a penalty just before halftime, only for De Wit to reduce the deficit with a clever 20-yard curler.
The second-half proceedings proved a more cautious affair as Celtic sought to preserve their lead. However, Adrian Blake and Auston Trusty both had the ball denied by Kasper Schmeichel at various stages, leaving O'Neill's men with a fragile lead. The introduction of sub Arijanet Muric on 57 minutes appeared to shore up Celtic's defence but it was Trusty who ultimately proved decisive, heading in an Engels corner in the 73rd minute.
O'Neill hailed his side's resilience and praised the performance as "terrific". This triumph marked a significant milestone in Celtic's Europa League campaign, and with victories over Utrecht and Falkirk on the horizon, confidence levels among supporters should be rising. While O'Neill acknowledges that much work remains to be done, this victory has given hope to an anxious fanbase that their team is capable of overcoming adversity.
The stage is now set for Celtic to face either Ferencvaros or Stuttgart in the playoff phase. With O'Neill at the helm, Celtic are well-placed to make meaningful progress in the competition and potentially secure a spot in European competitions next season.
. I mean, Utrecht is 21st in the table and all. But for real though, it's about time Celtic started showing some spirit 
. O'Neill's done a good job so far, but this win was more than just luck - it showed their squad has depth to them 
. Now let's see how they do against Ferencvaros or Stuttgart... might be a bumpy ride ahead 
anyway, martin o'neill is def doing a good job as manager, he's really got the team playing well together now. and benjamin nygren scored that goal in the 19th min!! crazy! 
utrecht just got destroyed btw
Celtic just took down Utrecht 3-1 and got themselves into the Europa League playoffs 
Benjamin Nygren's strike was insane 
️ and Auston Trusty's header at the end sealed it 
O'Neill's got his team on track now and they're looking super confident 
can't wait to see what happens next in the playoffs, maybe we'll even see them in the Champions League 
martin o'Neill's done it again! his tactics must be pure gold, Celtic are basically cruising to the playoffs now 
nygren's goal was a total screamer 
and trusty's headed winner at the end sealed the deal 
that they can pull off some big results in this competition. now let's see how they take on whoever they draw from the playoff phase 
, can't believe how far Celtic have come under Martin O'Neill! They were struggling but this win is a huge confidence booster 
. O'Neill's tactics are looking solid and his team's resilience is paying off 
, can't wait to see what the next round brings!
, and auston trusty's headed winner sealed the deal 