Sparta Prague coach Vaclav Kotal admitted Celtic could not contain his side’s swashbuckling counter attacks during another 4-1 Europa League defeat in the Czech capital, while speaking to Idnes.
Three weeks after the Hoops suffered perhaps the most humiliating recent result in their recent European history, thrashed at home by a second-string Sparta side decimated by the absence of so many key players, Celtic were once again left red-faced in continental competition.
Odsonne Edouard’s early opener gave the Glasgow giants a brief flicker of hope on Thursday night.
But it wasn’t long before those trademark defensive blunders reared their ugly head once again.
Mistakes from Kristoffer Ajer and Hatem Abd Elhamed helped Sparta turn the game around while the less said about the hosts’ fourth goal – as Scott Bain raced out of his box and failed to deal with a simple long ball before Srdan Plavsic walked it into an empty net – the better.
Kotal was asked after the game whether he was surprised by Celtic’s gung-ho approach, one that left gaps the size of the Grand Canyon for Sparta to attack on the counter.
But the Sparta boss was keen to point out that Celtic had little choice but to commit bodies to the attack as they chased three vital points.
“A draw would not have solved anything for them, they needed to win in the game,” Kotal said, pointing out that Celtic had little choice but to commit bodies forward as they chased three vital points.
“They were dangerous, especially in the second half. We were under a lot of pressure but our defence worked very safely and calmly. We allowed them only a few chances and were effective in counterattacks.
“The counterattacks helped us.”
After being knocked out of the Champions League at the second qualifying round by Ferencvaros – their earliest exit from the competition in over a decade – Celtic’s Europa League campaign is over after just four group-stage games.
With two wins in nine matches, and 24 goals conceded along the way, how much longer can Neil Lennon survive at the helm of this sinking Celtic ship?
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