The Celtic boss has reacted to another defeat in the Europa League for the Premiership champions.
Martin O’Neill insists Celtic’s Europa League progress hopes are still there to be claimed after they were rocked by a 2-1 home defeat versus Celta Vigo.
Mika Baur put them 1-0 up after the teams returned from a cagey first half but two quickfire Javi Rodriguez strikes handed the La Liga visitors to Parkhead all three points. Celtic had impressed but Celta Vigo soon grew into the game and eventually merited their full share of the spoils.
After defeats to Ferencvaros and Benfica so far in the league phase of the Europa League, manager O’Neill will take his team into a key clash with Besiktas, where victory will be needed if they are to stand a realistic chance of progress beyond the eight-game schedule they’re currently in. The Irishman said he still believes that they can make their way into the top 24 needed to get out the league phase.
Martin O’Neill on Celtic 1-2 Celta Vigo
O’Neill explained: “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 probably would have won. But forget ifs, buts and maybes, we conceded a goal from a set-piece. My own view was that I thought it was a foul for us 10 seconds before that, 6 seconds before that. But it may not have been, although I thought it was.
“We just lost a bit of momentum. We conceded the second goal, which was a blinding shot by the player outside the penalty area. Yeah, it was a tough evening, but I can't ask for any more from the players.
“Tonight is disappointing because I thought that we could win the game, I felt that beforehand, and while it was a tight match throughout, I still thought we could win. I haven't looked at the table, but I was told, roughly, that there's still a lot of points to play for.
“We have to obviously win a game at Celtic Park and we have to win away from home. I think we're capable of doing that. I still believe that there are still plenty of points to play for. But we need to get a move on.”
Celtic injury latest
The Celtic manager also provided an update on forward Callum Osmand. He was subbed before the hour-mark to spark some concern, having recently returned from long-term muscle issues. O’Neill added: “Yeah, he was cramping. That's totally understandable.
“Really understandable from his viewpoint. That's fine. He's had very little football. He's been injured basically since the start of the season. He's coming round. He's done really well for us. Each time he was moving in the last three or four minutes he was just cramping.”
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