Celtic secured a dramatic passage into the knockout stages of the Europa League with a last-minute 2-1 victory over Lazio in Rome.
Neil Lennon's side secured their first ever European victory on Italian soil in the most dramatic fashion as Olivier Ntcham bagged the winner in the fifth minute of added on time.
In an exact repeat of the reverse fixture back in Glasgow, the Scottish champions fell behind but fought their way back and won it late on to ensure they qualified for the last 32 of the Europa League in real style.
🚀 James Forrest gets Celtic on level terms in emphatic fashion in Rome against Lazio...#EuropaLeague #LAZCEL pic.twitter.com/qkfmnHKJXw
— Sporting Life Football (@SportingLifeFC) November 7, 2019
Ciro Immobile got Lazio off to the perfect start with his fifth goal in the last four games coming after just seven minutes of play at the Stadio Olimpico.
The hosts had their chances to double the lead, but were made to pay for missing them when James Forrest fired in a fine equaliser after 38 minutes to help send the Bhoys in level at the break.
Despite a host of chances for both sides, the scores remained level until the the 90 minutes were up, but as Lazio looked to try and force a winner, they made a huge mistake at the back and presented Celtic with a late chance to win it.
☘️ Absolute madness in the away end in Rome!
— Sporting Life Football (@SportingLifeFC) November 7, 2019
⌚️ #Celtic leave it late to sink Lazio again#LAZCEL #EuropaLeague pic.twitter.com/wMp9FEqQeI
Ntcham took that chance in style with his dinked finish sealing an impressive away victory and a deserved place in the knockout stages after taking ten points from their opening four games.
Neil Lennon reaction
🗣️ "You don’t know where the boundaries are with this team. We should sit back and enjoy what we’ve seen. It was very special."
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) November 7, 2019
Neil Lennon praises his heroic players after securing @EuropaLeague progression with two games to spare!#LAZCEL #UEL #RomeConquered pic.twitter.com/rtsi5Ikolp
Lazio 1-2 Celtic Opta stats
- Lazio have only won one of their last eight games in the Europa League (W1 D0 L7), failing to keep a clean sheet on each occasion.
- Celtic have recorded three consecutive victories in the UEFA Cup/Europa League for the first time since November 2002, when they won six in a row in the UEFA Cup.
- Celtic won away from home against Italian opposition in European competition for the first time ever, with this being their 13th attempt at doing so.
- Within the top five European leagues, only Robert Lewandowski (21) has scored more goals across all competitions than Lazio’s Ciro Immobile (15) this season.
- James Forrest netted his fourth goal in his last six appearances in all competitions for Celtic, after scoring only twice in nine games for the club beforehand.
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