Celtic must stage what appears a highly improbable comeback when they head north of the Arctic Circle next week after feeling the heat on home soil against a mightily impressive Bodo/Glimt side.
The Norwegian champions took firm control of this Europa Conference League knockout round play-off tie, taking full advantage of a lacklustre display from the Scottish Premiership leaders.
It ended a 17-match unbeaten run in all competitions for Ange Postecoglou’s side, stretching back to November, and they will now need to conjure up one of their best ever away results in Europe to avoid elimination next Thursday.
But on the evidence presented at Celtic Park, Bodo/Glimt are not a team likely to surrender the commanding position they have established.
From the moment their debutant striker Runas Espejord fired them into a seventh minute lead, they played with an assurance and cohesion which Celtic struggled to cope with and never came close to matching.
After Amahl Pellegrino doubled Bodo/Glimt’s lead 10 minutes into the second half, there was a glimpse of hope for Celtic when Daizen Maeda pulled one back. But that promise of revival was almost immediately snuffed out by Hugo Vetlesen’s deflected third goal for a team who are proving their remarkable emergence, which included a 6-1 thumping of Roma earlier this season, has real substance.
Celtic wouldn’t have been surprised to encounter opponents who were ready and equipped to play them at their own game, Postecoglou having been among those expressing admiration for Bodo/Glimt’s style which very much mirrors his own philosophy.
But given that this was a first competitive outing for the visitors in over two months, the sharpness and effectiveness of their work was perhaps
Read more on msn.com
msn.com
