It’s way too early in the season for a big club like Celtic to contemplate not reaching the lucrative Champions League group stages -Â but that looks very likely now after last night’s morale-sapping defeat at home to Dinamo Moscow. Not a great way for Tony Mowbray to kick off his tenure at Parkhead.
Alexander Kokorin scored with only seven minutes gone, a goal that took the wind out of Celtic’s sails. Despite several decent chances, the hoops failed to convert a single one. Georgios Samaras was the biggest culprit: the Greek forward failed to convert a point-blank header that would have given Celtic a fighting chance in Moscow.
This is turning out to be a nightmare draw for Celtic, who could really use the cash that accompanies a place in the CL proper; Moscow are already 15 games into their domestic campaign (they lie fifth in the table), and so they were always going to be sharper than the home side.
Can Celtic turn this tie around? It’s possible but unlikely. So disappointing.
Highlights below:
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