Celtic's Defensive Collapse in Europa League Opener Against Ferencvaros
Celtic Park has seen European setbacks before, but this felt painfully familiar. Another big night, another defensive collapse. Days after their Old Firm defeat, Martin O'Neill’s side were picked apart 3-1 at home by Ferencvaros in their Europa League opener, the scoreline fuelled almost entirely by their own mistakes.
O'Neill had promised a reaction after the League Cup loss to Rangers. What he got instead was a repeat viewing.
Bright start, brutal punishment
For 20 minutes, Celtic looked alive. James Forrest, rolling back the years on the left, was the spark. He whipped in an early cross for Camilo Duran on eight minutes, only for the forward to miscontrol and stab his effort wide. Celtic were on the front foot, Ferencvaros pinned back, the crowd humming.
Then the familiar punch to the gut.
On 20 minutes, Kieran Tierney failed to deal with a routine cross. The ball dropped to Bamidele Yusuf, whose shot was heading on target anyway before taking a decisive touch off Liam Scales and flying past Viljami Sinisalo. An own goal, another self-inflicted wound, another European game suddenly tilted against them.
Ferencvaros sensed uncertainty. Daniel Arzani soon skipped past Cameron Carter-Vickers and forced Sinisalo into a sharp low save. Celtic, so dominant in possession early on, were suddenly loose and anxious at the back.
They still carved out openings. Forrest remained Celtic’s best outlet, his cross on 31 minutes almost finding Haissem Hassan at the back post before Cadu intervened. Moments later, Hassan teed up Callum McGregor on the edge of the box, but the captain’s shot was deflected wide. Pressure, but no control.
Celtic’s lifeline – and instant collapse
Just when the tension inside Celtic Park was starting to harden into anger, came a flash of relief. On 44 minutes, Tierney at last delivered the kind of cross supporters expect from him. Mika Baur met it with conviction, smashing his finish into the net. Level at the break, or so it should have been.
Celtic barely had time to celebrate.
Straight from the restart, they imploded again. Yusuf drove at Tierney, beat him, then ran at McGregor, who was slow to react. The cut-back fell to Kristoffer Zachariassen, who had the freedom of the box to flick the ball past Sinisalo. From 1-1 to 2-1 in the space of a heartbeat. From lifeline to crisis again.
The boos at half-time were not deafening, but they were pointed. Celtic had done the hard part in dragging themselves back into the tie. Then handed it straight back.
Second-half shambles
If the break offered a chance to reset, Celtic ignored it.
Within two minutes of the restart, they were two goals behind. Sloppy in possession, they coughed up the ball in a dangerous area. Colby Donovan, fresh from his first Scotland call-up this week, was caught out, and Arzani pounced. The Australian winger stepped inside and unleashed a stunning strike into the top corner. A brilliant goal, yes, but again born from Celtic’s carelessness.
At 3-1, Ferencvaros didn’t need to chase. They sat, organised and disciplined, while Celtic chased shadows and their own composure. O'Neill turned to his bench, but the pattern barely shifted.
There were half-chances. On 67 minutes, Carter-Vickers found Duran, who whipped a teasing cross towards Kasper Hogh, but the substitute just failed to make contact. Benjamin Nygren curled an effort just wide a minute later as Celtic tried to force the issue.
The Hungarian side still carried threat. Sebastian Tounekti’s powerful drive on 72 minutes was beaten away by Adam Varga, and with the goalkeeper stranded moments later, Nygren went for the spectacular from distance but lifted his shot over.
Celtic’s late flurry never truly convinced. The fans who stayed to the end made their feelings clear at full-time. The boos this time were loud, sustained, and laced with a deeper worry.
Big signings quiet, big questions loud
O'Neill had reacted to the Old Firm defeat with four changes, but the problems remained the same. Celtic’s big summer additions – Duran, Hogh and others – have yet to stamp their authority on the biggest occasions. On nights like this, that absence is glaring.
The defensive issues are no longer a subplot; they are the story. Tierney struggled. Scales was unfortunate with the own goal but part of a back line that never looked settled. McGregor, usually Celtic’s metronome, was slow in key moments. Donovan’s error for the third goal capped a brutal evening for a unit low on confidence and clarity.
O'Neill admitted recently he is still trying to work out his best starting XI. Time is not on his side. Two Old Firm defeats and a Europa League loss in the space of eight days would test any manager’s standing in Glasgow, never mind one only months removed from a league and cup double.
O'Neill: A “European lesson” and a warning
Speaking after the game, O'Neill did not hide his disappointment.
"We're naturally disappointed getting beaten. It's not the start we wanted. We have seven games in which to try and get some points on the board. Really need to concentrate now on Sunday [against Rangers]," he said.
"Tonight was a European lesson for us in many aspects. We'll get ourselves together. We need to re-energise ourselves as much as anything else.
"When we have decent possession of the ball, just don't give it away. But also I think taking a few risks as well too - risks in the proper areas of the field."
On the full-time boos, he was blunt.
"I've been here 25 years ago where the crowd can react like that, so it's genuinely nothing new to me.
"I think that they were showing a lot of frustration as well. At times when we had the ball, we looked as if we were going forward and the next thing you know we've put two passes backwards.
"So those things definitely frustrate you and that's something that we'll have to try and iron out."
Derby looming, pressure rising
For now, Celtic will still sit top of the Premiership heading into the international break, regardless of what happens on Sunday. The table offers a veneer of comfort. The performances do not.
Ferencvaros exposed flaws that Rangers have already punished. Celtic’s defending is fragile, their new signings quiet, their manager still searching for answers. The Europa League campaign has started with a jolt, not a statement.
Rangers arrive at the weekend. Another defeat, another big-game failure, and the noise around O'Neill will grow louder.
The question now is simple: can Celtic steady themselves before this season’s story starts to run away from them?
