Lille coach Christophe Galtier was left fuming as his side sacrificed top spot in their Europa League group after a 3-2 defeat to Celtic on Thursday night, while speaking to L’Equipe.
Neil Lennon’s side might have equalled the record for the most goals conceded in a single group stage campaign (19) but, if you ignore that rather damning statistic, it was a night full of positives for the crisis-hit Glasgow giants.
Celtic’s much-changed side produced arguably their finest performance of the entire campaign against the Ligue 1 high-flyers.
The seldom-seen David Turnbull was the undoubted Man of the Match, creating Christopher Jullien’s goal, scoring the winner himself while wreaking havoc between the lines with his movement and invention.
Ismaila Soro, meanwhile, proved there is life without Scott Brown after all; his steel-capped performance in the number six role giving Celtic the balance and bite they have been missing throughout 2020/21.
Kristoffer Ajer was back to his best at right-back too, setting up Turnbull’s decisive strike, while summer signing Shane Duffy looked far more comfortable in a back-four.
But while Lennon was thrilled with a win he hopes could be a ‘catalyst’ for change, Galtier’s reaction was a little less positive.
“We are disappointed. To concede three goals is a lot. In total, we conceded five in this double confrontation against Celtic,” said Galtier, whose Lille side missed the chance to seal top spot ahead of AC Milan.
“There were some mistakes. The first two goals are avoidable. The first is a marking error on a set piece and, on the second, we must clear a ball and better intervene to avoid the penalty (which Callum McGregor scored).
“These are errors that we are not used to seeing here. At this level, it’s unforgivable.”
Celtic have won just three of their last 13 matches in all competitions and there is still plenty of work to be done for Lennon and co.
Not for the first time and probably not for the last on Thursday, Celtic gifted the opposition two goals thanks to a terrible individual error from McGregor and their inability to deal with a simple set piece.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
