Celtic earned their first Champions League group stage point but were denied a long-awaited home victory in a high-octane 2-2 draw with Atletico Madrid at Parkhead.
It has been a familiar tale of frustration for the Scottish champions in the competition this season and Brendan Rodgers’ side led twice during a pulsating contest before being pegged back twice by the La Liga outfit.
The Hoops knew they needed to get some points on the board after slipping to consecutive defeats to Feyenoord and Lazio, and a star-studded Atletico Madrid side posed a stern test. But it was a challenge that Celtic certainly rose to.
Kyogo Furuhashi opened the scoring after just four minutes when he played a clever one-two with Matt O’Riley before dispatching low beyond visiting goalkeeper Jan Oblak, sparking wild celebrations in the stands. However, Greg Taylor conceded a penalty shortly after, which Antoine Griezmann converted at the second attempt after seeing his initial effort pushed onto the post by Joe Hart before ricocheting back to his feet.
Luis Palma’s driven strike, which took a slight deflection, restored the hosts’ lead after 28 minutes and blew the roof of Celtic Park. But Alvaro Morata’s second half header levelled the match to ensure a share of the spoils and leave Celtic’s hopes of progression from the group dangling by a thread.
Rodrigo De Paul was then sent off after being shown a second yellow late on on a thrilling night in Glasgow’s East End.
With Feyenoord beating Lazio 3-1 in Rotterdam, it leaves the Dutch outfit sitting top of Group E on six points from three matches, with Atletico on five points and Lazio on four. The draw means Celtic still retain a chance of claiming third place and a vital Europa League spot after Christmas.
Here’s our Celtic player ratings from Parkhead:
Unused subs: Scott Bain (GK), Joe Morrison (GK), Gustaf Lagerbielke, Yang Hyun-jun, David Turnbull, Oh Hyeon-gyu, Tomoki Iwata, Anthony Ralston, Mikey Johnston.
1. Celtic player ratings vs Atletico Madrid - gallery (GlaW)
Kyogo Furuhashi slots home Celtic’s opening goal against Atletico Madrid.
2. Joe Hart - 7/10
Cut a relieved figure after seeing Griezmann’s 15th minute effort ripple the side-netting. Pushed Griezmann’s spot-kick onto the post but unlucky to see the ball cannon back to the Frenchman to convert the rebound. Unable to do anything about Atletico’s equaliser and made a few important saves at crucial points in the match.
3. Alistair Johnston - 7/10
A busy night for the Canadian who produced another composed showing. Linked up well with Maeda down the right-hand side. Defensively solid.
4. Cameron Carter-Vickers - 7/10
A commanding presence who marshalled the backline well and was strong in the tackle. Equipped himself well and kept Morata relatively quiet. Booked.