Celtic’s misery deepens as Europa loss fuels Old Firm pressure

Celtic’s Europa League opener ended in a 3‑1 defeat to Ferencvaros, compounding a 3‑0 Scottish Cup loss to Rangers on Sunday and leaving Martin O’Neill under intense scrutiny ahead of the Old Firm encounter.

Cup defeat leaves O’Neill reeling

Sunday’s bruising cup loss saw winger Bamidele Yusuf’s shot deflect off defender Liam Scales in the 20th minute, giving Rangers the lead. Midfielder Mika Baur equalised in the 44th minute, but captain Kristoffer Zachariassen restored the visitors’ advantage before the break, sealing a 3‑0 defeat that stunned O’Neill’s side.

In response, O’Neill reshuffled his team: on‑loan goalkeeper Sam Johnstone was replaced by Viljami Sinisalo, record signing Kasper Hogh was omitted for striker Camilo Duran, and wide men James Forrest and Haissem Hassan joined midfielder Oliver Sorensen.

Europa League opener proves costly

Ferencvaros piled on the misery with a 3‑1 win at Parkhead. The visitors started brightly, with Yusuf blocking a shot from Forrest and near‑misses from Duran and Forrest. In the 18th minute Zachariassen headed a Yusuf cross over the bar, only for Yusuf’s 20th‑minute strike to be redirected by Scales into the net.

Celtic rallied: Sinisalo pushed away a Zachariassen effort, a dangerous cross off Mariano Gomez was caught by the Celtic keeper, and Callum McGregor’s drive produced a corner. Left‑back Kieran Tierney’s cut‑back found Baur, who, fresh from his first Germany call‑up, fired home from 12 yards to level the score.

Added‑time drama saw Yusuf dribble into the box and set up Zachariassen for a close‑range flick. In the second half Hogh replaced Sorensen, but a Scales error allowed Yusuf to release Daniel Arzani, who struck high into the top corner, giving Celtic their solitary goal.

O’Neill continued tweaking, bringing on Benjamin Nygren, Sebastian Tounekti and later Luke McCowan. Nygren’s 69th‑minute curling effort and Tounekti’s strike were both denied, the latter by keeper Adam Varga, whose mistake gifted Nygren a second chance that also went wide.

With the weekend’s defeats looming, O’Neill has plenty to ponder ahead of the Old Firm rematch on Sunday, where Celtic will aim to restore the faith of their disgruntled supporters.