Paradise lost for blundering Bhoys

Celtic 0 Juventus 3

Manager Neil Lennon admits Celtic “need a miracle” after being taught a harsh lesson in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Juventus.

Despite a creditable performance which saw them dominate the Italian champions for much of the game, Celtic were punished for defensive lapses as they went down 3-0.

Alessandro Matri opened the scoring in the third minute after a calamitous error by Efe Ambrose, just back from African Nations Cup duty with winners Nigeria,

Celtic recovered and were actually the better team for long spells, but this Juventus side went unbeaten in Serie A last season and do not pass up opportunities such as this.

Juventus waited and, helped by a referee that made it clear blood would have to be spilt before he would award the hosts a penalty for some outrageous wrestling at corners, they then picked Celtic off in the closing stages.

It was vicious, it was cruel, and it was the sort of mugging that the best sides in Europe can administer when the mood takes them. In short, Celtic were taught a harsh lesson in the rarified atmosphere of football’s premier club competition.

That scoreline effectively ends the tie as a meaningful contest, as Lennon acknowledged.

“We need a miracle,” the Armagh man said. “But it’s the harsh reality of Champions League football and some of my young players will learn a huge lesson tonight.

“I thought for 70-odd minutes, until the second goal, we were by far the better side — but you can’t give away goals like we gave away, sloppy.”

“Efe was poor for the first goal but we had good chances to equalise,” said Lennon. “Then we switched off defensively for the second goal and the third goal was poor.”

One legitimate objection Lennon could have was over the way Juventus — and Stephane Lichtsteiner in particular — defended corners. The Swiss player was booked after tangling with Gary Hooper but continued grappling with the striker and also Ambrose and Scott Brown. “I’d like to ask the referee, is the game different in Spain or Italy?” Lennon said.

“Every time one of my players tried to move he was held. He should have given a penalty on at least two occasions.”

Celtic Park was in full voice, the giant banner which screamed ‘London Calling’ seemed like a statement rather than a desperate plea, and the Italian visitors were on the back foot.

The hosts had actually started well, Victor Wanyama testing Gianlugi Buffon in the opening minute, but Ambrose’s mistake changed all that.

The centre-back had played in Nigeria’s 1-0 win over Burkina Faso in Johannesburg on Sunday and only flew into Glasgow on Tuesday morning, and it was impossible to declare the gamble to start him anything other than a disastrous failure.

Unfortunately for Ambrose, Matri is, with all due respect, a rather more dangerous striker than Billy McKay, the Inverness forward who Celtic faced on Saturday. And the striker made him pay, easing onto the loose ball and poking home a shot that just made it over the line before Kelvin Wilson’s clearance.

For a team that had defended like Trojans against Barcelona in reaching this stage, it was a shocking goal to concede.

Still, Celtic kept going forward with Wanyama and Kris Commons both testing Buffon.

And there was much to give Lennon hope. Scott Brown was clearly getting under the skin of Andrea Pirlo, and Gary Hooper was starting to have an impact.

Indeed, his wrestling match with Stephan Lichtsteiner at corners was a regular feature. Both players were booked, but the Swiss defender was extremely fortunate not to concede a penalty for repeated infringements.

Spanish referee Alberto Undiano Mallenco decided against it, though, and it was a theme that continued throughout — much to both Lennon and the crowd’s frustration.

Celtic just needed one clear chance, but when it came it fell to the wrong man as Ambrose headed weakly at Buffon when Charlie Mulgrew’s perfect cross found him unmarked six yards out. With that miss went much of the belief around the stadium.

His nightmare evening was not over there though, as Juventus twice struck late.

Matri was again at the heart of both, firstly playing a perfect pass out to Marchisio, who cut inside Wilson before firing past Forster. And he then completed Ambrose’s misery, dispossessing the defender before the ball was fed through for Vucinic to score.

Suddenly, Celtic had equalled their biggest home defeat in European competition, which was previously a 3-0 defeat to Paris Saint Germain in 1995.

Juventus coach Antonio Conte praised the Celtic supporters afterwards. I played all over the world and rarely have I seen an atmosphere like this. We’d heard about it, but living it is something else,” he said.

But he could afford to be gracious as his side’s progression now looks a formality.

CELTIC: Forster, Izaguirre, Ambrose, Wilson, Mulgrew, Lustig (Matthews 58), Brown (Kayal 80), Commons (Watt 73), Forrest, Wanyama, Hooper.

JUVENTUS: Buffon, Caceres, Federico Peluso (Padoin 69), Barzagli, Bonucci, Lichtsteiner, Marchisio, Pirlo, Vidal, Vucinic (Anelka 85), Matri (Pogba 80).

Referee: U Mallenco