Celtic's Gritty Bologna Draw Keeps European Dream Alive
In the historic Italian city that hosts the western world's oldest university, Celtic faced a formidable test of character and emerged with a precious Europa League point that could prove decisive. While this hard-fought draw means Martin O'Neill's side still have work to do to reach the knockout stages, their destiny remains firmly within their control. A victory at home against Utrecht, who currently languish in tenth position in the Dutch Eredivisie, next Thursday evening would be sufficient to extend their European campaign into the new year.
Dream Start Turns Sour Before Remarkable Resilience
The visitors could scarcely have wished for a better beginning to this crucial Group D encounter. After just five minutes, Celtic capitalised on a catastrophic error from Bologna goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski, making his first appearance since early November. The Polish international's attempted pass out from the back was intercepted by Daizen Maeda, who showed admirable composure to square the ball for Reo Hatate to tap into an unguarded net.
Celtic began with impressive intensity, pressing high and dominating possession against an Italian side that had won just once in their previous nine matches. However, the match's complexion changed dramatically around the half-hour mark when Hatate, after being booked for a foul on Bologna captain Lewis Ferguson, received a second yellow card just three minutes later for clipping Juan Miranda, leaving his team to play for an hour with ten men.
Ten Men Dig Deep to Claim Deserved Point
What followed was a display of tremendous character and defensive organisation from the Scottish champions. Despite being numerically disadvantaged, Celtic remarkably doubled their lead on the stroke of half-time. From Kieran Tierney's corner, the ball was flicked on at the near post and defender Auston Trusty showed excellent anticipation to thump a finish in off the underside of the crossbar.
Bologna inevitably dominated possession after the interval and eventually broke through just before the hour mark. Substitute Jens Odgaard flicked on Nikola Moro's cross, and Thijs Dallinga directed a well-placed header beyond Kasper Schmeichel. The equaliser arrived in the 72nd minute when Jonathan Rowe, showing excellent technique, curled a superb left-footed strike into the corner from the edge of the penalty area.
Celtic's ten men defended heroically in the closing stages, with Schmeichel making an excellent late save from Nicolo Cambiaghi to preserve a point that felt like a significant achievement given the circumstances.
Historical Echoes and Forward Focus
For manager Martin O'Neill, this resilient display in Italy will have brought particular satisfaction, coming twenty-five years after his first visit to the country with Celtic ended in controversial defeat to Juventus. On that occasion, he famously described a late penalty award as "extraordinary" - a word that could equally apply to his team's determined performance with reduced numbers in Bologna.
The result leaves Celtic needing victory against Utrecht at Celtic Park next week to guarantee progression to the Europa League knockout phase. In a season that has witnessed considerable turbulence both on and off the pitch, achieving European football beyond Christmas would represent a highly commendable accomplishment for O'Neill and his squad.
Approximately 3,000 travelling Celtic supporters, who had braved the cold in Bologna's Piazza Maggiore earlier in the day, celebrated what felt like a crucial result at the final whistle. Their team had shown the kind of resilience and character that could prove vital as they seek to extend their European adventure into the new year.
