Celtic midfielder Mika Baur said his side “deserved to lose” after Celta Vigo overturned a 1-0 deficit to win 2-1 in the Europa League at Celtic Park.
The result leaves Celtic second from bottom of the league table after three matches, with three defeats and only Ararat-Armenia FC below them on goal difference.
Celtic took the lead two minutes after half-time when Baur capitalised on a poor clearance and swept the ball into the net. Liam Scales then went close to doubling the advantage, heading against the crossbar.
But Celta turned the match around with two goals in three minutes. Javi Rodriguez equalised in the 68th minute, powering a header past Sam Johnstone from a free-kick.
Rodriguez completed the turnaround three minutes later with an impressive strike from just outside the penalty area which flew into the net. Celtic were unable to produce a response.
Asked by TNT Sports whether Celtic had deserved the defeat, Baur said: “How we played second half, last 30 minutes, we deserved it [the loss] in the end.”
He was then asked why Celtic had collapsed after taking the lead.
“I cannot tell you, sorry,” he replied.
“It can happen that you get a goal, they can score too, good team – you should then get control back, hold the ball a bit longer to take the momentum away from them. You should break that.”
Baur insisted Celtic could still advance from the Europa League, saying: “What else should we do? Absolutely. We need points. That’s it.”
The defeat means Celtic have lost four European matches in succession for the first time since October/December 2017, when they also suffered four consecutive defeats.
Their defensive record in major European competition is also a concern. Celtic have kept only one clean sheet in their past 16 matches in those competitions, a 1-0 Europa League win at Stuttgart in February.
Celta dominated the shot count, finishing with 22 attempts, while Celtic managed only two of their eight shots after falling behind.
O’Neill: Celtic still have a chance
Martin O’Neill acknowledged Celtic must now recover ground if they are to reach the Europa League play-off stage, but believes progression from the league phase remains possible.
“We conceded a free-kick, and I thought a second before that we should have had a foul for us,” O’Neill told TNT Sports.
“They score from the free-kick, and it knocks us a little bit. It gave them a bit of momentum.
“I think if [Liam] Scales’ header goes in to make it 2-0, we get the three points. We’ve lost three matches now; remarkably, we’re still in with a chance [of progressing]. We’ve got to win here and got to win away from home.
“We take the lead in the game; if we get the second goal, we win the match, and it changes the whole dynamic.
“It didn’t happen; that’s it – we need to try to find a way to win European games.”
