Celtic were on the losing end of a chaotic Champions League curtain-raiser in Rotterdam against Feyenoord in a game which saw the Hoops receive two red cards in a matter of 5 minutes.
The pair of red cards to Odin Thiago Holm and Gustaf Lagerbielke turned what was a competitive game, where Celtic were going toe-to-toe with the Dutch side, into an insurmountable task, with Celtic having to try and deal with wave after wave of attacks from the home side.
In a match where Celtic finished the game with 9 men, you would be surprised to hear that there were still some positives to take from the evening, and here is A Celtic State of Mind’s player ratings from last night’s fixture:
Joe Hart – 7
Many fans may point the finger at the English stopper for Feyenoord’s free-kick, but the gap that opens up completely catches the keeper off guard, although he should’ve covered the space better.
Hart had his part to play in limiting the damage done by the red cards as he saved the penalty following Lagerbielke’s dismissal and made a big stop shortly after.
Alistair Johnston – 6
The Canadian was the standout performer in the first-half as he was up for the fight, putting in plenty of good tackles. However, in the second-half, as the numbers on the Celtic team dropped, things started to get difficult. He couldn’t get the ball clear for Feyenoord’s second but it was always going to be a tough ask to get the ball out of danger given the numbers game.
Liam Scales – 7
Scales continued his upward trajectory in recent weeks as he put in another performance that he can be proud of in his first ever Champions League start. He was winning his aerial duels well and was rarely caught out.
Gustaf Lagerbielke – 5
Before his sending off, much like Liam Scales, Lagerbielke was defending well in what was an organised defence that didn’t allow many opportunities. However, his lack of experience was evident for his sending off as he needlessly fouled the opponent instead of simply guiding the ball towards Hart, who looked to be getting to the ball.
Greg Taylor – 6
Taylor was being targeted constantly by the Feyenoord attackers, as expected, but he never shied away from the challenge. The left-back was linking up well with Daizen Maeda down the left hand side.
Callum McGregor – 6
The captain had a surprisingly quiet time in Rotterdam for most of the game, but when the Hoops went down to nine men, he fought valiantly alongside the Celtic backline in preventing a flood of Feyenoord goals going in.
Matt O’Riley – 6
O’Riley started the first-half sharply, challenging well and helping out with a lot of the defensive work against a high-quality Feyenoord midfield. However, he evidently started to fade as the game went on.
Reo Hatate – 6
The Japanese midfielder had a confusing game, with his role in the side not looking completely clear. He drove the team forward on many occasions in the first-half but was caught out on the ball on a few occasions in dangerous areas before being replaced by Odin Holm.
Luis Palma – 6
The Honduran endured a quiet start to the game but began showing some sparks when cutting inside which caused some problems for the Feyenoord defence. He was replaced on 58 minutes by Yang Hyun-jun.
Kyogo Furuhashi – 5
Kyogo had an unusually quiet game, with a lack of service preventing the Japanese striker from getting any clear-cut chances. Fans will be looking for Kyogo to step up in the Champions League and more service will be needed if Celtic are to have success in Europe this season.
Daizen Maeda – 6
Maeda was the brightest spark in the Celtic attack, using his electric pace to get in behind the Feyenoord defence. He had a big opportunity in the first-half to get Celtic ahead but the chance was hard to finish off as it was on his weaker foot. Despite this, it was an encouraging performance from the winger.
Substitutes
Yang Hyun-jun – 6
Yang was unfortunate that, within 10 minutes of making his way onto the field, the Hoops were down to nine men. He showed the intent to try and make something happen, however it was always going to be a tough task with a lack of options up top.
Odin Holm – 4
Holm made a reckless challenge with his studs up that was deserving of a red card. It showed his inexperience but as a young player, he will need to use it as a learning curve.
Oh Hyeon-gyu & Paulo Bernardo
Both players were subbed on late in the game but didn’t have any real chance to make a positive impact on the game.
JAMES MCKENZIE // Follow James HERE
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.