2016-08-23: Hapoel Be’er Sheva 2-0 Celtic, European Cup

Trivia

• European Cup, Champions League 2016-17, Playoffs
• 2nd Leg, Aggregate Celtic 5-4 (Celtic won first leg 5-2)
• Celtic qualify to the group stages for first time in 3 years.
• Hapoel BS from Israel. First time league winners last season.
• Brendan "The longest 90 minutes I've faced as a coach." "Obviously there's the supporters. An incredible moment for them. They're back in Europe's elite – where Celtic belong."
• Craig Gordon saves a penalty (possibly his first for Celtic!). Then Craig Gordon is involved in a calamitous goal conceded with Janko. Both at fault.
• Celtic overcame Lincoln Red Imps (Gibraltar) & Astana (Kazakhstan) to reach this round. Hard going, as it always is. Very cut throat.
• Celtic fans (led by the Green Brigade)have raised >£130k to date following UEFA charging Celtic with illicit banners (basically Palestinian flags at our home match v HBS). The money raised will go to charity and across the web Celtic have been winning praise and new fans across the globe, albeit with some dissention from certain others.
• Around 150 Celtic fans travelled over.
• Olympics (Rio/Brazil) finished a few days earlier, incredible event for GB with records broken for them in medals won. Some medals for Scotland including Andy Murray back to back tennis men's titles. Congratulations to all. Sadly a mostly forgettable Olympics for Ireland with disappointment in the boxing but some medals in rowing.

Review

Brendan Rodgers: "The longest 90 minutes I've faced as a coach."

(joebloggscity of TheCelticWiki)

(Lbhoy of KDS)
I thought BR got it wrong initially tonight.

Janko instead of Lustig (hmmm) …McGregor instead of Rogic…. (nono)

I'm guessing his plan was to press high up and pick up the second ball letting our midfield collect pass and build from there. Flaw was no Rogic. We didn't have anyone , unlike last week, that wanted to put their foot on the ball and try and build and use Sinclair and Forrest.

Watching Janko and Forrest down the RHS was excruciating…at one point Janko was closing down their LB in their box…wtf!!!

Should have switched McGregor for Rogic he was an empty jersey…not breve enough tonight…he is ok when we dominate but passenger when under pressure.

Fair play though to BR going 3 at the back looked much more compact then and although not comfortable looked as if we we had good shape and protection.

I thought they were a poor team especially tonight, set piece and a fluke goal they offered little much else quality wise.

We are in the Champions League though and that's all that matters. We won't play that badly again…different scenario when it's points to play for in group rather than protecting a 1st leg lead.

What have we learned?….we are going to have shampoo loads of CL revenue and Janko should never wear a Celtic jersey again ..

Bring on Madrid!!!!!!

(Brazilbhoy of KDS)
BR must have his moments wi this lot. I assume Janko and McGregor must be spectacular in training cos the obvious was demonstrated, McGregor is lightweight especially when we needed a solid game managing midfielder. That he is not. Rogic was the obvious choice –
Janko just follows in a string of defenders who canny defend, surely to God he will not be seen again, both he and Effe are
bomb scares, the are almost paralysed with fear at times, the nerves were jailing every time he faced an attacker in full flight.
My problem with Celtic is that we rarely match teams who are no better than us but play with a determination and spirit which we canny cope with.We make them look good and we display a fear that should not be there.
The Israelis are tough. The pressed the ball all the time, they marked tightly and had a knack of continually fouling to get at the ball, going through players from the back yet draw few free kicks. I lost count of the headers/50/50 we came out without the ball.At set pieces we are all over the place.
In short we lack organisation and technique to play against the tough, well organised teams, even here in Scotland. We are miles ahead of others in the SPL in football style but this is not the SPL, this is Europe, watching RMadrid and Man City hunt the man with the ball ruthlessly we stand off players and give them space and freedom to run.
Celtics future in Europe will not be determined by brilliance but by our ability to be solid and match other teams in sheer determination. If you are puzzled why the Israelis got through their qualifiers you would see why last night.
To pick out one player for instance, he was a standout in both games, the big baldy African no. 9. He was fabulous. We just couldn't get the ball off him, good footballer but terrific at using his weight to shrug of players as if they weren't there.
BR should have had him man marked all game – he must have known he was brilliant from that first game . Maybe Janko was supposed to do this. If he was, he simply wasn't up to it. This is a player Celtic could sign right away,he will be cup tied but he would be sensational in our squad, he has everything we need.
I am not going to criticise Gordon, he usually has little to do but he has come unstuck more than once on big occasions but his defence offer him no cover and he seems to have no authority in his 6 yard box, this has been obvious before in testing games. This badly needs addressed.
Relief more than anything else last night. We were piss poor overall, but we survived. Rogers will, from here on in be judged on his ability to address the years old weaknesses in defence and general commitment from players who are pretty average but turn into chocolate soldiers on the big occasions. The Rangers cup semi is still fresh In my mind, we still aren't tough enough or committed enough to compete with the teams who have lesser ability but heaps of attitude – the scrappers of this world.

Teams

Articles

• Match Report (see end of page below)

Pictures

• Match Pictures

Forum

• Pre-match
• Match
• Post Match

MOTM

• Voting Thread
• Result Thread
• Winner –

Stats

Hapoel Be'er Sheva Celtic

Possession
Home69%
Away31%

Shots
Home19
Away7

Shots on Target
Home7
Away2

Corners
Home7
Away2

Fouls
Home6
Away13

Articles

Brendan Rodgers's Celtic reach the Champions League on a nervous night in Israel
http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/14700115.Hapoel_Be_er_Sheva_2_Celtic_0__Agg__4_5_/26 mins ago / Neil Cameron
22 comments

CELTIC have never played so badly and made so much money on the same night.

That fact Brendan Rodgers became the first Celtic manager to lead the club into the Champions league in his debut season on a night when his team saw off Hapoel Be’er Sheva meant this Israel play-off had a happy ending.

But his team for long worrying periods were second best by some distance in Israel. It was the ghost of away European games of the past come back to haunt the Northern Irishman who had nothing to do with previous games. Hapoel scored twice, missed plenty of chances, including a penalty, and will feel aggrieved.

And yet what is it they say? That football is all about results and this aggregate win is as important to the club as any in a long time came fittingly in ‘The Land of Milk and Honey’ because that is precisely what the group stages of the world’s most lucrative football competition are to the clubs involved.

Celtic could earn as much as £30million over the next few months, enough to sew up the domestic scene for many years, or so you would imagine, and it will allow Rodgers to go shopping in more expensive boutiques.

But once again the Celtic fans were made to suffer. They watched their team outplayed here. That 5-2 lead was under threat for so long and by the end the Scottish champions were hanging on as never before.

At least they are there. But there were quite a few found lacking. Rodgers needs to get in at least two more first-teamers or the group stages may be punishing.

Success, of course, at this level is never easy. From the start it was clear Hapoel had not given up hope. A minute had gone when James Forrest was outmuscled on the touchline by Ofir Davidzada, the ball was picked up by Ovidiu Hoban whose curling shot gave Craig Gordon his first piece of work for the evening.

And then after quarter of an hour the first glimpse of what was to become a long night for the Celtic defence.

Saido Janko has never convinced and the right back stuck out a leg and got nowhere near the ball as he tripped Davidzada just inside the box. Dutch referee Bas Nijhuis pointed to the spot, Maharan Raid went for power from 12 yards and Gordon guessed right and got his body behind the ball.

That blessed relief for Celtic lasted until the 21st minute when the old failings reappeared as a simple corner was not dealt with. Raid floated a ball into the six yard box and substitute Ben Sahar found it far too easy to get up and head the ball home.

There were quite a few players from the visitors who looked uncomfortable, no more than Janko who was all over the place. Hapoel are not brilliant but they can pass the ball and were finding so much space when last week there was none.

At least Griffiths got a shot on target after 33 minutes, the first time the ball had spent any time in the Israeli’s half. Then Janko to be his credit made a good run from deep and for once put his cross into the box where Sinclair got the ball but his effort was tame.

After some decent Hapoel pressure, the impressive Anthony Nwakaeme tested Gordon with a shot from outside the area, and then Celtic broke on 38 minutes, the ball was played from Sinclair, Griffiths, McGregor and eventually to Forrest who put his shot from close in over when a cross was the better option.

Rodgers would have welcomed half-time. Many of his players needed a not-so-gentle reminder what was at stake and that they had to up their games. Forrest was replaced by Tom Rogic. Janko stayed on and three minutes into the half was partly to blame for the second goal.

A nothing ball into the Celtic box should have been dealt with by Gordon who inexplicably allowed it to bounce, Janko barged into him, the ball got loose, Hoban said thanks very much and scored from close range. It was an excruciating moment for both defender and goalkeeper

Now what did Celtic have? It looked at this stage as if many had gone. They couldn’t pass or make a tackle. Rodgers understandably wore the look of a man who didn’t quite believe what was going on in front of him.

Moussa Dembele replaced the knackered Griffiths and on the hour the Frenchman cut in from the left and sent his curled shot a coat of paint wide of the post. Celtic nearly scored again four minutes later when Rogic did well to get a past a few tackles on the edge of the box, the ball broke to Sinclair who got off a shot, which was well save by David Goresh, and Dembele was in an offside position when he missed the rebound. Sinclair really should have done better

But still came Hapoel. A brilliant scissor-kick from Hoban on 68 minutes was a fraction wide and then he tested Gordon with a well executed shot on the bounce from outside the area.

Celtic, the fans, players and manager began praying for the final whistle; it was that part of the world after all. They got away with it, just.

BBC

By Andy Campbell

BBC Sport Scotland

1 hour ago From the section Football

Celtic celebrate
Celtic qualified for the Champions League group stage for the first time in three years

Celtic survived a second-leg onslaught to reach the Champions League group stage with a narrow aggregate play-off win over Hapoel Beer Sheva.

Beaten 2-0 in Israel, Brendan Rodgers' side progressed on the strength of their 5-2 win in Glasgow last week.

Celtic keeper Craig Gordon saved Maharan Radi's penalty shortly before he was beaten by Ben Sahar's header.

Ovidiu Hoban capitalised on a mix-up between Gordon and Saidy Janko for Hapoel's second goal.

Celtic, who are likely to be in the fourth pot of seeds for the Champions League group stage, will discover their opponents when the draw is made on Thursday evening.

Celtic back where they belong – Rodgers

Cash reward but defensive frailties persist

Celtic return to the group stage of the competition for the first time in three years and will bank almost £30m as a result.

The guaranteed income will give Rodgers – in his first season as Celtic boss – further opportunities to expand his squad before the transfer window closes next week.

It is in defence where Celtic's most pressing needs lie, with the side having kept only two clean sheets in 10 competitive matches this term – and none away from home.

Erik Sviatchenko was fit enough to make the bench, while fellow centre-back Jozo Simunovic is still some way off a return, leaving regular right-back Mikael Lustig to partner Kolo Toure at the heart of Celtic's back-line.
Celtic's Champions League income
£2.6m for winning the play-off £10.3m for group stage participation
£10m television money £7m from gate receipts
£1.3m for group stage win £0.43m for group stage draw
Night to forget for Janko

The Scottish Premiership winners knew a forceful opening from the hosts was likely, with the Israeli champions going for the 3-0 win that would have taken them through on away goals.

Janko, who struggled to deal with Hoban throughout, was penalised for the spot-kick and booked for a trip on Ofir Davidadze, although television replays suggested the challenge was just outside the area.

It mattered little, though, as Radi went too central with his effort, allowing Gordon to charge down.

Radi's corner was met by Sahar's downward header past Gordon and Kieran Tierney on the line, the striker netting moments after replacing the injured Lucio Maranhao.

In the early moments of the second half, Janko knocked the ball out of Gordon's hands as he came to collect a cross, leaving Hoban with a tap-in.

Barak Bakhar's side were now within touching distance of their target but Sahar and Hoban could not convert as Celtic were continually exposed.
Ben Sahar scores
Sahar (top left) scored Hapoel Beer Sheva's third goal of the two-legged play-off
Griffiths isolated in attack

Top scorer Leigh Griffiths had a frustrating evening up front for Celtic, who struggled to get out of their own half.

Just before the hour he was replaced by former Fulham striker Moussa Dembele, who fashioned Celtic's first real chance when curling wide from the left edge of the era after driving at the Hapoel defence.

Scott Sinclair then tested keeper David Goresh from near the penalty spot.

But that respite was short-lived as Hapoel reasserted their dominance in possession, making the final 25 minutes a nervous wait for the travelling fans.

The final whistle prompted celebrations for those supporters and the Celtic players and management as Hapoel were left to contemplate their consolation prize of a place in the Europa League group stage.

Match ends, Hapoel Be'er Sheva 2, Celtic 0.
Full Time
90'+5'

Second Half ends, Hapoel Be'er Sheva 2, Celtic 0.
Booking
90'+3'

Yuval Shabtay (Hapoel Be'er Sheva) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
90'+3'

Foul by Yuval Shabtay (Hapoel Be'er Sheva).
90'+3'

Nir Bitton (Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Booking
90'+2'

Craig Gordon (Celtic) is shown the yellow card.
90'+2'

Attempt missed. Maor Bar Buzaglo (Hapoel Be'er Sheva) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses the top right corner from a direct free kick.
90'+1'

John Ogu (Hapoel Be'er Sheva) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
90'+1'

Foul by Kolo Touré (Celtic).
90'

Offside, Hapoel Be'er Sheva. Maharan Radi tries a through ball, but Ben Sahar is caught offside.
88'

John Ogu (Hapoel Be'er Sheva) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
88'

Foul by Erik Sviatchenko (Celtic).
87'

Attempt missed. Tony Nwakaeme (Hapoel Be'er Sheva) right footed shot from outside the box is too high.
84'

Corner, Hapoel Be'er Sheva. Conceded by Kieran Tierney.
82'

Delay over. They are ready to continue.
81'

Delay in match John Ogu (Hapoel Be'er Sheva) because of an injury.
80'

Offside, Hapoel Be'er Sheva. John Ogu tries a through ball, but Maharan Radi is caught offside.
78'

Maharan Radi (Hapoel Be'er Sheva) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
78'

Foul by Erik Sviatchenko (Celtic).
Substitution
76'

Substitution, Hapoel Be'er Sheva. Yuval Shabtay replaces Miguel Vítor.
74'

Maor Bar Buzaglo (Hapoel Be'er Sheva) wins a free kick on the left wing.
74'

Foul by Mikael Lustig (Celtic).
72'

Attempt saved. Ovidiu Hoban (Hapoel Be'er Sheva) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
72'

Corner, Hapoel Be'er Sheva. Conceded by Erik Sviatchenko.
71'

Attempt blocked. Tony Nwakaeme (Hapoel Be'er Sheva) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Maor Bar Buzaglo.
68'

Attempt missed. Ovidiu Hoban (Hapoel Be'er Sheva) right footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right following a corner.
68'

Corner, Hapoel Be'er Sheva. Conceded by Kieran Tierney.
Booking
66'

Mikael Lustig (Celtic) is shown the yellow card.
Substitution
65'

Substitution, Celtic. Erik Sviatchenko replaces Callum McGregor.
65'

Foul by Ovidiu Hoban (Hapoel Be'er Sheva).
65'

Callum McGregor (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
64'

Offside, Celtic. Tomas Rogic tries a through ball, but Scott Sinclair is caught offside.
64'

Foul by Ovidiu Hoban (Hapoel Be'er Sheva).
64'

Saidy Janko (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
63'

Foul by Ovidiu Hoban (Hapoel Be'er Sheva).
63'

Mikael Lustig (Celtic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
62'

Attempt blocked. Maharan Radi (Hapoel Be'er Sheva) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by John Ogu.
62'

Attempt missed. Ben Bitton (Hapoel Be'er Sheva) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left following a corner.
61'

Corner, Hapoel Be'er Sheva. Conceded by Saidy Janko.
61'

Ofir Davidzada (Hapoel Be'er Sheva) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
61'

Foul by Nir Bitton (Celtic).
60'

Attempt missed. Moussa Dembele (Celtic) right footed shot from the left side of the box is close, but misses the top right corner. Assisted by Tomas Rogic.
Substitution
57'

Substitution, Celtic. Moussa Dembele replaces Leigh Griffiths.
Booking
56'

Callum McGregor (Celtic) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
56'

Maor Bar Buzaglo (Hapoel Be'er Sheva) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
56'

Foul by Callum McGregor (Celtic).
56'

Attempt saved. Ben Sahar (Hapoel Be'er Sheva) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Ovidiu Hoban with a cross.
51'

Maor Bar Buzaglo (Hapoel Be'er Sheva) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
51'

Foul by Callum McGregor (Celtic).
50'

Offside, Hapoel Be'er Sheva. Ben Bitton tries a through ball, but Ben Sahar is caught offside.
Goal!
48'

Goal! Hapoel Be'er Sheva 2, Celtic 0. Ovidiu Hoban (Hapoel Be'er Sheva) right footed shot from very close range to the centre of the goal.
47'

Offside, Celtic. Kieran Tierney tries a through ball, but Leigh Griffiths is caught offside.
Second Half

Second Half begins Hapoel Be'er Sheva 1, Celtic 0.
Substitution
45'

Substitution, Celtic. Tomas Rogic replaces James Forrest.
Half Time
45'+4'

First Half ends, Hapoel Be'er Sheva 1, Celtic 0.
45'

Attempt missed. Tony Nwakaeme (Hapoel Be'er Sheva) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Maharan Radi.
43'

Attempt blocked. Scott Sinclair (Celtic) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Kieran Tierney.
41'

Attempt missed. Maharan Radi (Hapoel Be'er Sheva) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right following a corner.
40'

Corner, Hapoel Be'er Sheva. Conceded by Scott Brown.
40'

Attempt blocked. Tony Nwakaeme (Hapoel Be'er Sheva) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Ben Sahar.
40'

Attempt missed. James Forrest (Celtic) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the right is close, but misses the top right corner. Assisted by Callum McGregor.
39'

Attempt saved. Tony Nwakaeme (Hapoel Be'er Sheva) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Maharan Radi.
37'

Ben Sahar (Hapoel Be'er Sheva) wins a free kick on the right wing.
37'

Foul by Kieran Tierney (Celtic).
36'

John Ogu (Hapoel Be'er Sheva) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
36'

Foul by Nir Bitton (Celtic).
35'

Attempt saved. Scott Sinclair (Celtic) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Saidy Janko with a cross.
Substitution
34'

Substitution, Hapoel Be'er Sheva. Maor Bar Buzaglo replaces Maor Melikson because of an injury.
34'

Corner, Hapoel Be'er Sheva. Conceded by Mikael Lustig.
33'

Attempt saved. Leigh Griffiths (Celtic) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Callum McGregor.
32'

Offside, Hapoel Be'er Sheva. Ben Bitton tries a through ball, but Ben Sahar is caught offside.
31'

Attempt blocked. Maharan Radi (Hapoel Be'er Sheva) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Ben Sahar.
27'

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Maharan Radi.
26'

Attempt missed. Ben Sahar (Hapoel Be'er Sheva) left footed shot from a difficult angle on the left is too high. Assisted by Maor Melikson.
22'

Offside, Hapoel Be'er Sheva. Ovidiu Hoban tries a through ball, but Ben Sahar is caught offside.
Goal!
21'

Goal! Hapoel Be'er Sheva 1, Celtic 0. Ben Sahar (Hapoel Be'er Sheva) header from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Maharan Radi with a cross.
21'

Corner, Hapoel Be'er Sheva. Conceded by Scott Sinclair.
Substitution
19'

Substitution, Hapoel Be'er Sheva. Ben Sahar replaces Lucio Maranhão because of an injury.
19'

Offside, Hapoel Be'er Sheva. Shir Tzedek tries a through ball, but Tony Nwakaeme is caught offside.
15'

Penalty saved! Maharan Radi (Hapoel Be'er Sheva) fails to capitalise on this great opportunity, right footed shot saved in the bottom left corner.
Booking
14'

Saidy Janko (Celtic) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
14'

Penalty Hapoel Be'er Sheva. Ofir Davidzada draws a foul in the penalty area.
14'

Penalty conceded by Saidy Janko (Celtic) after a foul in the penalty area.
13'

Delay over. They are ready to continue.
12'

Delay in match Lucio Maranhão (Hapoel Be'er Sheva) because of an injury.
12'

Attempt blocked. Maharan Radi (Hapoel Be'er Sheva) right footed shot from more than 35 yards is blocked. Assisted by Shir Tzedek.
11'

Ben Bitton (Hapoel Be'er Sheva) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
11'

Foul by Scott Sinclair (Celtic).
10'

Foul by Shir Tzedek (Hapoel Be'er Sheva).
10'

Scott Brown (Celtic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
10'

Miguel Vítor (Hapoel Be'er Sheva) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
10'

Foul by Leigh Griffiths (Celtic).
9'

Foul by Ben Bitton (Hapoel Be'er Sheva).
9'

Scott Sinclair (Celtic) wins a free kick on the left wing.
7'

Ovidiu Hoban (Hapoel Be'er Sheva) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
7'

Foul by Scott Brown (Celtic).
6'

Attempt missed. Mikael Lustig (Celtic) right footed shot from the centre of the box is too high following a corner.
6'

Attempt missed. Mikael Lustig (Celtic) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Leigh Griffiths with a cross following a corner.
6'

Corner, Celtic. Conceded by Ofir Davidzada.
3'

Offside, Hapoel Be'er Sheva. John Ogu tries a through ball, but Ovidiu Hoban is caught offside.
2'

Offside, Celtic. Mikael Lustig tries a through ball, but Leigh Griffiths is caught offside.
2'

Attempt saved. Ovidiu Hoban (Hapoel Be'er Sheva) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Ofir Davidzada.
Kick Off

First Half begins.

Lineups are announced and players are warming up.