London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 18, 2025

Callow Celtic exit Champions League

Callow Celtic exit Champions League

Beleaguered Celtic's Champions League hopes ended in the second qualifying round for the second consecutive year as a callow side were undone in extra time by Denmark's Midtjylland.

Awer Mabil's equaliser forced extra-time

Raphael Onyedika side-footed home the crucial blow three minutes into the added period after Callum McGregor's stunning volley had put Celtic in front for the second time in the tie.

But defensive frailties cost them again as Awer Mabil levelled before Onyedika pounced to leave Celtic floored and bound for the Europa League.

They will face Czech side FK Jablonec in the third qualifying round next week, while Midtjylland go on to face PSV Eindhoven in European football's premier competition.

The result emphasises the scale of the task facing Ange Postecoglou as he attempts to rebuild a lightweight squad.

Celtic's pre-season has been dominated by talk from fans, pundits, and Postecoglou himself, about the lack of signings, with quarantine also denying them the services of recruits Carl Starfelt and Kyogo Furuhashi.

The fact they lined up with a defence with an average age of 21 told its own story, and the manager said it best this week when he referred to the team "flying by the seat of its pants".

But as in Glasgow last week they looked the more assured side in the first half, and McGregor provided the spark his team were searching for just two minutes into the second period as he took the ball on his chest before hooking it into the top right-hand corner.

The goal oozed class and gave Celtic the platform to kick on, and substitute James Forrest came so close to bolstering their advantage on the hour mark as he slid the ball wide after a good run.

And, just as in the first leg when Edouard passed up a one-on-one, they were punished for their profligacy. Midtjylland had not registered a shot by this point, but within two minutes of Forrest's effort, Mabil levelled.

The Australia international ghosted between Dane Murray and Greg Taylor to nod home a floated cross, emphasising the inexperience of the Celtic backline and the general anxiety which has surrounded the team in the last 12 months.

That only swelled from that moment on as the Danish side - roared on by about 6,000 of their fans - grew in confidence, and Victor Lind missed a golden chance to win the tie in stoppage time as he evaded 18-year-old Murray.

But Celtic were made to pay soon after as Evander floated in another delivery, which Henrik Dalsgaard steered into Onyedika's path, and the Nigerian had time to take a touch and dispatch from six yards out.

Man of the match - Evander

The Midtjylland number 10 was a danger with his quality delivery

What did we learn?


Celtic are as far away from being a Champions League group-stage club as they have been in a long time. Despite their decade of dominance in Scotland, they have drifted further from Europe's elite with every passing season.

It is fair to analyse the performance on the pitch, but only in the inescapable context of the squad Postecoglou has to work with.

To begin a Champions League qualifying campaign with a centre-back pairing aged 18 and 21, no clear first-choice full-backs or goalkeeper, and a striker in Edouard who clearly sees his future elsewhere is scarcely believable in the eyes of most Celtic fans. And that isn't even the full extent of their problems.

The club has no head of recruitment, no sporting director and are attempting their largest rebuild in two decades. Postecoglou says he walked into this job with his eyes wide open, and he will largely receive a pass in the circumstances, but with each passing game the scale of the challenge grows.

Across both legs there were signs of his high pressing, vertical style, but the Australian needs both time and signings to have any hope of success in the short to medium term. It's sure to be a bumpy ride.

What they said


Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou: "We just got tired in the end. They scored and got through it. I thought my players gave their maximum. It's the beginning of what we're trying to embark on. We controlled the game until they scored."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Macron and his wife to provide 'scientific photographic evidence' that she is a real woman
US Tech Giants Pledge Billions to UK AI Infrastructure Following Starmer's Call
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
DeepMind and OpenAI Achieve Gold at ‘Coding Olympics’ in AI Milestone
SEC Allows Public Companies to Block Investors from Class-Action Lawsuits
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Federal Reserve Cuts Rates by Quarter Point and Signals More to Come
Effective and Impressive Generation Z Protest: Images from the Riots in Nepal
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Trump: Cancel quarterly company reports and settle for reporting once every six months
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
US Launches New Pilot Program to Accelerate eVTOL Air Taxi Deployment
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Hong Kong Industry Group Calls for HK$20 Billion Support Fund to Ease Property Market Stress
Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency Speaking Fees Face Weak Demand amid Corporate Reluctance
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
×