Celtic Suffer Third Europa League Defeat 2-1 to Celta Vigo

Celtic suffered a third defeat in the UEFA Europa League group phase on 22 October 2026, losing 2-1 to Celta Vigo at Parkhead after conceding two goals in the space of three minutes. Martin O’Neill’s side took the lead shortly after half-time through Mika Baur, but Celta responded with a header and a long-range strike from Javi Rodriguez to leave the Scottish champions among four clubs in the 36-team standings without a single point.

Parkhead Lead Slips Away Against Spanish Visitors

The match unfolded in front of a crowd that included roughly 3,000 travelling Celta supporters, while Celtic’s ultras group, the Green Brigade, boycotted the fixture in protest against the club’s administration. The opening half saw few clear openings, though Celtic fans voiced strong penalty appeals when Callum Osmand was pushed inside the box, with referee Georgi Kabakov waving play on and Camilo Duran booked for his protests.

Celtic broke the deadlock just two minutes into the second half. Haissem Hassan delivered a dangerous cross from the right that took a deflection off a defender, breaking kindly for Mika Baur to sweep a low shot past goalkeeper Radu from 16 yards out. The hosts nearly doubled their advantage moments later when Liam Scales met another cross from Hassan with a header that struck the crossbar and bounced over.

Rodriguez Strikes Twice to Secure Celta Victory

The momentum shifted decisively approaching the final quarter of the match. Hugo Alvarez whipped in a free-kick from the right in the 68th minute, and Javi Rodriguez met it with a powerful header that beat Celtic goalkeeper Sam Johnstone. Just three minutes later, Celtic failed to clear their lines properly following a Celta attack, allowing Rodriguez to unleash an unstoppable 20-yard strike from outside the penalty area that sealed the 2-1 scoreline.

Sky Sports reporter Luke Shanley noted from Celtic Park that the Spanish side deserved their victory after creating significantly more chances than the hosts. Manager Martin O’Neill received a yellow card from the Bulgarian referee during the second half for protesting the free-kick that led to Celta’s equalising goal, telling TNT Sports that he felt his team should have been awarded a foul in their favour just seconds earlier.

European Struggles Follow Domestic Dominance

The defeat compounds a difficult European campaign for Celtic, who previously suffered losses to Ferencvaros and Benfica in the league phase. These continental struggles contrast sharply with their domestic form, where they sit four points clear of Old Firm rivals Rangers at the top of the Scottish Premiership following an emphatic 7-1 win against Hearts over the weekend. Celtic starting goalkeeper Sam Johnstone replaced Viljami Sinisalo for the fixture, marking O’Neill’s only change from the weekend line-up.

Speaking in his post-match press conference reported by GlasgowWorld, O’Neill reflected on what might have been if Scales’ header had gone in to make it 2-0.

Where did it all go wrong? Well, we hit the bar with the header, we could have gone 2-0 in front. I think if we had done that we’d probably have won, but forget ifs, buts and maybes, we conceded a goal from a set piece.

Martin O’Neill

Upcoming Fixtures in Domestic and European Play

Despite their zero-point standing in the Europa League table after three matches, O’Neill maintained that qualification remains possible. I haven’t looked at the table, but I was told roughly that there’s still a lot of points to play for, the Celtic manager told reporters, adding that his side must secure wins both at Celtic Park and on the road to salvage their European campaign.

More on Europa League: Besiktas 2-2 Crystal Palace: Mateta and Pino Spark Frantic Europa League Draw · Beşiktaş hosts Crystal Palace in UEFA Europa League match