Malmo players describe 'not nice' Celtic as pigs and children ahead of second leg

Malmo’s players were unimpressed with Celtic’s attitude after a 3-2 defeat at Parkhead that leaves the Scottish side’s Champions League hopes on a knife-edge.

Malmo snatched a 95th minute lifeline, as former Celtic player Jo Inge Berget grabbed a crucial second away goal, and afterwards the away side hit out at their hosts’ behaviour.

“They are pigs, all of them, that’s the way it is,” Malmo goalkeeper Johan Wiland Wiland told Swedish paper Kvällsposten. “You just have to try to stay cool and do what we have to do on the pitch. Leigh Griffiths... well I don’t know what to say, he behaved like a child, tugging shirts all the time.”

And defender Rasmus Bengtsson told Sportbladet: “There were some players who talked a lot. You probably know who I mean. They have a captain (Scott Brown) and a few others who like to talk. But that’s the way it is at this level. One player who came on (Nadir Ciftci) was not particularly nice.

"The first thing he wanted to do when he came on was to talk. He had more focus on that than his performance. And I don’t think it was to their advantage that they were running around focusing on other things.”

Celtic manager Ronny Deila insists he is not scared of the prospect of going to Sweden with such a narrow advantage.

Leigh Griffiths gave the Scottish champions the lead in the third minute of the play-off first leg at Parkhead before midfielder Nir Bitton headed in a second from a Stefan Johansen corner.

Berget, who had a short and unsuccessful loan spell at Parkhead last season, pulled a goal back in the 52nd minute with a wonderful volley before Griffiths headed in his second and sixth of the season in the 61st minute to make it 3-1 to Celtic.

But in the fifth of five added minutes, Berget scored from close range to make next week’s return leg in Sweden more fraught than it ought to have been against a Malmo side who overturned a 2-0 first-leg deficit against Salzburg in the previous round.

However, Deila, who revealed right-back Mikael Lustig’s hamstring injury “doesn’t look well”, said: “No, it doesn’t scare me. I said they were a good team and it is small details that make you win or lose in European ties.

“We are ahead with one goal. Of course we can beat Malmo away. But they have to beat us and that is a positive thing.

“They have to attack us and that can suit us.

“I am disappointed, of course, to concede a goal in the last second but it happened. We are one goal ahead and they have to beat us in Malmo.

“It could be a better result but it was an okay result. They scored almost with the only two chances they had, which is disappointing but we have to see after the second leg.

“We played well at the start of the game, we were all over them and scored two goals, so it was a little bit disappointing in the end but I have belief that we can do it in Malmo.”

On Berget returning to haunt the Hoops, Deila said: “It doesn’t hurt more. That’s how it is. The first goal was a very good shot, credit to him, but we should have stopped it before it got to him.”

Deila’s fellow Norwegian, Age Hareide, praised his Malmo players and believes the momentum will be with them next Tuesday night in Sweden.

Hareide said: “It was a terrible start for us. Conceding two goals in the first 10 minutes – I don’t know what happened. But credit to the boys for getting back in the game. At 2-1 we had control of the match and Celtic looked tired.

“We saw against Inverness that they do not have the legs for 90 minutes.

“Then we made silly mistakes and you cannot do that at this level. But credit to the boys they worked their way back into the game and made it 3-2.

“We have a very good chance to beat them at home now and we only need one goal.

“We will attack them at home and play our normal game and hopefully it will be enough.”