Ferencvaros v Celtic: Visitors boost knockout bid with second successive win
- Published
Jota's strike restored Celtic's first-half lead
Celtic strengthened their hopes of reaching the Europa League knockout rounds with a crucial victory against Ferencvaros in Budapest.
Liel Abada finished an excellent team move to ultimately complete the double over the Hungarian champions, who then set up an anxious finale thanks to Myrto Uzuni's fine strike.
The visitors led in the opening minutes through Kyogo Furuhahsi, and regained the advantage thanks to Jota after an unfortunate Josip Juranovic own goal had quickly hauled Ferencvaros level.
Celtic move a point behind second-place Real Betis, who were thrashed 4-0 at Bayer Leverkusen, with two games to play in Group G.
Leverkusen are three points clear at the top, while Ferencvaros are stuck on zero and can no longer progress, meaning Celtic are guaranteed European football of some sort after Christmas.
The second-placed team will go to the preliminary knockout round with eight teams dropping down from the Champions League, while third seals a Europa Conference League knockout place.
Celtic's victory was more comfortable than the scoreline suggests, although the late lapse that gave the hosts hope was a needless concession.
The Scottish side had revived their European League campaign by winning 2-0 at home to Ferencvaros a fortnight ago, but knew repeating the feat in Hungary was necessary to remain credible challengers for the knockout stages.
Manager Ange Postecoglou had labelled it a must-win and his players did not hang about in a high-tempo attacking performance, surging ahead with a terrific finish from talisman Kyogo.
The Japan forward still had plenty to do when Abada raced on to a stray pass from Eldar Civic and squared to him just inside the box. Kyogo feigned to shoot, flummoxing Miha Blazic, before switching the ball from right foot to left and finding the bottom corner.
However, the advantage was soon wiped out as a combination of carelessness and misfortune cost Celtic. Abada gave away possession in a dangerous area and the ball was worked across to the right, where Oleksandr Zubkov's attempted cross looped off the sliding Juranovic and over Joe Hart.
There was no let-up in the frantic pace, with Ferencvaros harrying Celtic, who were having plenty of joy when they beat the press.
They regained the lead with a lightning raid instigated by Hart. The goalkeeper got down well to smother a Civic shot, then sprang Callum McGregor to break forward and find Jota on the left flank. The Portuguese winger cut inside and his 20-yard strike flew in off the post via a slight deflection that deceived former Hibernian keeper Adam Bogdan.
Hart denied the hosts another quickfire equaliser with a parry from Uzuni, but Celtic were in the ascendancy and began to tighten their grip on the game.
Only the crossbar kept their lead intact at the start of the second half as Tokmac Nguen's swerving drive from distance left Hart rooted, but Anthony Ralston then rattled the goal frame with a header at the other end.
Kyogo looked to have given Celtic breathing space with a dink over Bodgan from David Turnbull's defence-splitting pass, only for Blazic to race back and hook off the line.
Celtic's third arrived soon after, though, and was a combination of graft and craft. Turnbull tracked back to dispossess Nguen and find McGregor, who quickly shuttled it on to Kyogo. The forward's brilliant slide-rule pass released Abada down the right to lash a shot past Bogdan from a tight angle.
Celtic were cruising to victory with little stress until substitute Mikey Johnston gave the ball away and Uzuni arced in a fine strike, but Postecoglou's men held firm for a deserved win.
Man of the match - Kyogo
A goal and assist sum up the Japan forward's importance to this Celtic side
What did we learn?
Some of Celtic's attacking football was sumptuous and their risk-and-reward style was vindicated by the thrilling win.
The defence - with 21-year-old Stephen Welsh deputising here for injured centre-back Carl Starfelt - looked rocky at times and invited trouble with some careless possession.
However, this was a team performance that shows continued improvement under Postecoglou as he implements his high-risk philosophy.
What did they say?
Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou told BT Sport: "Full credit to the boys. It was three great goals, I thought we could have had a couple more. I'm disappointed at conceding the second goal as I don't think it was a true reflection of how we played tonight.
"The fact we can get three goals away from home is because we just go at teams. I still think that is the way forward. It's the kind of team we want to be and I think it's the team our supporters want us to be."
What's next?
Celtic are away to Dundee in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday (12:00 GMT), their last outing before the international break. Their next Europa League assignment is against group leaders Leverkusen in Germany on 25 November (17:45).
Match stats
Ferencvaros have lost all four of their games in the Europa League this season, equalling their longest run of defeats in the Uefa Cup/Europa League (four between 1972 and 1977).
Celtic picked up their first away win in major European competition since November 2019 (2-1 v Lazio in the Europa League) - it's just their second victory in their last 10 such games (D3 L5).
Excluding qualifiers, this is the first time Celtic have scored 3+ goals in consecutive away games in major European competition for the first time since September-October 1970 in the European Cup (5-0 v KPV and 7-0 v Waterford United).
Despite their victory, Celtic have failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their last 10 away games in the Europa League, and have only managed one in their last 25 away from home in the competition overall (1-0 v Rosenborg in November 2018).
Kyogo Furuhashi has scored in consecutive games for Celtic in the Europa League (two goals), while he's the first player to find the net in at least two of his first three appearances for the club in European competition since Kenny Miller in 2006.