Goalkeeper Dorus de Vries made a big error as Scottish Premiership giants Celtic were dumped out of the Europa League in Russia on Thursday.
Celtic’s Europa League dream did not last long.
There was a buoyant mood around the Hoops fans ahead of the round of 32 decider with Russian giants Zenit St Petersburg, with Celtic holding a 1-0 lead from the first-leg via a brilliantly taken Callum McGregor goal.
But the optimism did not last long. Branislav Ivanovic was left painfully unmarked to nod home an early opener and, 20 minutes later, goalkeeper Dorus de Vries endured a moment to forget as he was deceived by a long-range pot-shot from Daler Kuzyaev.
And De Vries, who conceded a third goal to Aleksandr Kokorin on the hour, was open about his mistake after the game.
“I don’t know if you are familiar with the term ‘knuckle ball’. Search for it online and you can see what happens with the flight of the ball. Unfortunately, it’s so difficult for a goalkeeper,” the 37-year-old told the Scottish Sun.
“There is no spin on the ball, it just moves a little bit to the right and so initially I moved to the right. Then it moves left at the last moment, and with that pace on the ball you can only hope to get a good hand to it.
“But it was so quick and it makes it so hard. I knew this could happen because they have a few players who can hit the ball like that. It’s a nightmare.”
De Vries only started in Russia due to an injury suffered by regular number one Craig Gordon last month, but this is not the first time he has made a big error in a rare start for Brendan Rodgers’ side.
This time, however, it is more crucial than ever with Celtic’s European campaign over for another year.
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