Brendan Rodgers’ first game as Celtic boss ended in humiliation as his Hoops side were humbled 1-0 by Lincoln Red Imps in in the first leg of their second Champions League qualifier at the Victoria stadium, Gibraltar thanks to a costly error by Efe Ambrose.
In the first leg of the second qualifying round for Europe’s elite competition, Celtic travelled to Gibraltar to play the Premier Division champions.
Playing against semi-professional opposition, most of whom put in a full shift in their day jobs before turning up for this Champions League second qualifying round tie, Celtic were nothing short of appalling.
A goal from a Ministry of Defence police officer left Celtic’s own Minister for Defensive Mis-haps, Efe Ambrose, feeling as if he’d been mugged, pick-pocketed, bound, gagged and bundled on to a plane headed for some off-the-radar rendition site. Which just so happens to be where most fans would have wished to send the Nigerian international after his stumble two minutes into the second half.
The Scottish giants were humbled by the Red Imps, in a loss many Bhoys fans are already labelling as the most humiliating in the club’s proud history.
The Red Imps are a part-time team, and share the 5,000-capacity Victoria Stadium with every other club in their league.
Lee Casciaro, who also scored against Scotland for Gibraltar’s national team in their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign, netted a second-half winner for the home side.
Rodgers was in a relaxed mood following the shock defeat, insisting Celtic remain confident of overturning the 1-0 scoreline in the second leg, which will take place at Celtic Park next Wednesday.
He said in his pre-match press conference, as reported by the BBC: “There’s no panic. We’ve got enough quality here to get through to the next round.
“It’s a two-legged affair, our objective is to get through. I think the players gave everything that they had. The message [to the fans] is to stay calm.”
The Northern Irish coach approaches 2016/17 following an eight-month break from football. He was dismissed from his role as Liverpool boss after a run of three wins in eight Premier League matches.
Celtic have won the last five successive Scottish Premiership titles, but have failed to qualify for the Champions League since 2013/14.
The return game at Celtic Park next week should still be a formality, but Rodgers’ tenure has begun in the worst possible way.
It had promised to be a stroll for the Glasgow club. There were around 300 Celtic supporters in the away end – some more interspersed with the home fans in the crowd of less than 2,000 – to see French striker Moussa Dembele make his competitive debut on his 20th birthday.
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