| Match Pictures | Matches: 2019 – 2020 | 2019-20 Pictures |
Trivia
- UEFA Cup/Europa League
- Match Day 1 of 6, Group E
- Stade Rennais – aka Rennes
- Celtic could/should have won. Stade Rennes have lost only 1 in last 16 games at home in Europe, so Celtic did very well. Cluj beat Lazio 2-1 in other game, surprise result.
- Possibly a key turning point game for Lennon in proving his ability as a manager, more so than the win v Sevco etc.
- Ajer concedes a silly penalty, but Celtic should have had two penalties. Only one given to Celtic.
- Referees like the one tonight v Rennes really can suck the life out of a game. So many incompetent errors, and bizarre decision making (e.g. Bayo sending off).
- Clearly was out of his depth in what was not a difficult match atmosphere to referee in.
- Very strange sending off for Bayo, let's take a closer look at the Bayo sending off
- * Ref sees incident, plays on. * Keeper rolls around holding head but replay shows no contact to head whatsoever. * Ref checks head after appeals from Rennes, red card… what's he seen from GK to convince him?! Joke Their goalkeeper was holding his head despite no contact! Shambles
- Hayes makes an incredible tackle that few would have believed he could possibly do. Great utility player.
- Jozo Simunovic out of match, needed some knee surgery.
- Celtic fan & legendary musician Rod Stewart has been given the all-clear after being diagnosed with prostate cancer. Good news.
- Hearts Legend Bobby Prentice dies at age 65, played over 200 games for them. RIP
- Rugby World Cup to start this week in Japan.
- TheRangers: Sad news, former Rangers and Zenit defender Fernando Ricksen has died aged 43 following a battle with motor neurone disease. RIP
Review
was not convinced as Vakoun Bayo was sent off shortly after coming on as a sub for Celtic… It certainly does look like the referee changed his mind without consulting his assistant
(samule of KDS)
Good game that. A draw was the least we deserved, although with Christie's penalty shout and Elyounoussi's toe being a bawhair away from that cross we could easily have won it.
Daft from Ajer at the penalty they had, and he was doing near enough the same when they had a shout in the second half. He needs to cut that out pronto.
Bayo was hard done by, their keeper obviously grew up wanting to be Vitor Baia. Definite yellow card for the challenge on the defender, but not even a foul for the second. Hopefully there's some way of appealing that.
Speaking of which, the ref was the usual standard we get in Europe. When you see guys like that, you realise how the likes of Willie Collum are able to get gigs in UEFA competitions.
Rennes fans seemed pretty good though, been a long while since I've watched us play an away game where the home fans manage to keep up the noise for the full 90 minutes, so fair eff to them. Shame so many of their players are dicks.
Teams
Rennes
- 16 Mendy
- 27 Traore
- 3 Da Silva
- 21 Gnagnon
- 15 Morel
- 28 Martin
- 7 Raphinha
- 14 Bourigeaud
- 8 Grenier
- 20 Tait
- 11 Niang
Substitutes
- 1 Salin
- 9 Siebatcheu (s 88')
- 12 Lea Siliki
- 18 Camavinga (s 72')
- 22 Del Castillo (s 72')
- 23 Hunou
- 26 Gelin
- Niang 37
Celtic
- 67 Forster
- 33 Elhamed
- 2 Jullien
- 35 Ajer
- 23 Bolingoli Mbombo
- 8 Brown
- 42 McGregor
- 49 Forrest
- 17 Christie
- 27 Elyounoussi
- 22 Edouard
Substitutes
- 1 Gordon
- 10 Bayo (s 84')
- 13 Bauer
- 15 Hayes (s 69')
- 16 Morgan
- 18 Rogic
- 21 Ntcham (s 57')
- Chrisie 59 pen
Referee: Jose Maria Sanchez Martinez
Attendance: 30,000
Articles
- Match Report (see end of page below)
Pictures
Forum
MOTM
- Voting Thread
- Result Thread
- Winner –
Stats
Possession
50 50
CEL50
REN50%
Goal attempts
5
Rennes Off target
6
Celtic
1
Rennes On target
1
Celtic
Corners
2
3
Fouls
9
19
Articles
Ryan Christie penalty secures draw for Celtic at Rennes despite late red card
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/sep/19/rennes-celtic-europa-league-match-report
PA Media
Thu 19 Sep 2019 20.59 BST
Last modified on Fri 20 Sep 2019 00.25 BST
Shares
5
Comments
31
Ryan Christie scores for Celtic at Rennes
Ryan Christie (right) scores from a penalty against Rennes in Celtic’s opening match of the Europa League group stage. His goal was enough to secure a draw for Neil Lennon’s side. Photograph: David Vincent/AP
Neil Lennon said his Celtic side were well worthy of their point against Rennes and that they could have had three if VAR was available in the Europa League.
Lennon was surprised video assistance was unavailable, unlike in the Champions League, and felt his side were denied a clear penalty in a game of two spot-kicks. He was left baffled, too, by José María Sánchez’s decision to send Vakoun Bayo off in the final minute after initially playing on.
Europa League: Karius drops clanger in Besiktas defeat, Dudelange shock Apoel
Read more
Celtic held on through five minutes of stoppage time for a 1-1 draw after a confident display in their group opener in France. Rash defending from Kristoffer Ajer handed Rennes a 37th-minute penalty which M’Baye Niang converted before Ryan Christie saw his pleas for a 51st-minute penalty fall on deaf ears after he was brought down in the box. However, Celtic did get one eight minutes later for a foul on James Forrest and Christie converted to continue his side’s unbeaten away record in Europe this season.
“I thought we were the better team,” Lennon said. “I was disappointed with the players coming in a goal down because we had really good control of the game. I thought we lacked a bit of composure first half because we worked the ball in good areas and we just rushed things a bit. I have no complaints about the penalty but I asked for a reaction at half-time and we certainly got that. We thoroughly merited a point if not the three points.
“It’s a great start for us but you always want more. After we scored we sort of came off it a little bit but saw the game out quite comfortably. I’m not happy with the sending-off and we should have had another penalty, a clear penalty on Ryan Christie. However, I have got to be satisfied to come away from home and play very strongly against a good side.”
Bukayo Saka inspires Arsenal to thrilling win at Eintracht Frankfurt
Read more
Bayo was booked for an aerial challenge before clipping the home goalkeeper, Édouard Mendy, at a loose ball moments later. Sánchez played on but Mendy rolled about holding his face and the referee showed Bayo a second yellow and then red after a huge delay.
“It looked to me like the referee was waving play on,” Lennon said. “I don’t know if he was looking back at the goalkeeper who was holding his head when there was no contact with his face at all. If anything it was minimal across his midriff. The referee changed his mind. So I think Bayo can feel very hard done by. We are playing under the Uefa banner and I’m surprised we don’t have [VAR].”
Star Celtic duo get ridiculous ratings, Rennes 'cheated', 'violent' Vakoun Bayo – French press react to 'chaotic' Europa League clash
Celtic got a good draw in Rennes. Picture: Getty
Celtic got a good draw in Rennes. Picture: Getty
Joel Sked
Email
Published: 10:38 Friday 20 September 2019
https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/celtic/star-celtic-duo-get-ridiculous-ratings-rennes-cheated-violent-vakoun-bayo-french-press-react-to-chaotic-europa-league-clash-1-5007900Celtic boss Neil Lennon came out after his side's 1-1 Europa League group stage draw with Rennes believing his side should have won all three points.
READ MORE: Rennes 1 – 1 Celtic: Neil Lennon's men fight back but finish match with ten men
It was an assertion that the French press disagreed with.
The iconic sports paper L'Equipe wrote "Rennes will probably still feel cheated".
Hello, this is the first of your 5 free articles for this week
Subscribe today
X
Get all the latest news, analysis and expert opinion with an online subscription Subscribe Today
They wrote about the home team's slow start as they adapted to a switch in formation.
"Without their five-man defence, which has shone with solidity in recent weeks, the Rennais have taken a little time to adapt to a 4-3-3, supposed to be a better option against the Scots. In a first balanced period, Grenier created the first opportunity.
"The players of Julien Stephan then took the ascendancy and were logically rewarded (when they scored a penalty).
"At the resumption, the balance of power was reversed and Celtic became more pressing. Following Da Silva's poor raise, the Rennes captain was surprised by Forrest, which gave Christie an equaliser. The match became more tense."
L'Equipe had interesting views on two big moments in the second half – the Jonny Hayes tackle on Hamari Traore and then Vakoun Bayo's red card.
"Rennes could have won the match if a foul from Hayes on Traore had been punished with a new penalty. Conversely, they lost their captain, Damien Da Silva, injured in the temple by Bayo, who was then sent off for also violently striking Mendy.
"After the controversy that punctuated his draw in Brest on Saturday, Rennes will probably still feel cheated. For the second half, they should have received a second penalty for an uncontrolled tackle from Hayes. If the Celtic defender took the ball well, he also hit his vis-à-vis at full speed, making him fall."
Although Christopher Jullien, James Forrest, Ryan Christie and Fraser Forster all got a six – no player scored higher.
Get French Football News called the match "an attrition-heavy contest at the Roazhon Park. Rennes created slightly more openings, but weren’t able to fully wrestle control at any point."
Local paper Ouest-France called the end of the match "chaotic".
Le Figaro gave a more measured take on the fixture.
"Celtic dictated from the outset, without being dangerous," they wrote, noting that Edouard was kept quiet by the Da Silva-Gnagnon combination.
"On the other side of the field, Mbaye Niang, he made a hell of life to Kristoffer Ajer. The Norwegian defender found no other way to stop him than to pull the shirt in the box, causing a penalty converted by Niang himself.
"Combining patience, strength and efficiency, the Reds and Blacks completed a first almost perfect period. This advantage at the break was deserved, against strong Scots but without great genius, with the exception of their young French striker, Odsonne Edouard." was their view of the first half.
"In the second half, Celtic – reigning champion of Scotland all the same – moved up a gear, playing higher and looking for the Bretons' fault. The Rennes team remained vigilant. But shortly before the hour of the game the referee has designated the penalty for a foul, not obvious for the public of Brittany, Da Silva on James Forrest, after a failed recovery."
By Kheredine Idessane
BBC Scotland at Roazhon Park
From the section Europa League
James Forrest won the penalty which Ryan Christie converted
James Forrest won the crucial penalty for Celtic, which Ryan Christie converted
Ryan Christie's second-half penalty earned Celtic a deserved draw in Rennes in a frenetic opening Group E match in the Europa League.
M'Baye Niang fired the hosts in front from the spot after Kristoffer Ajer's lunge brought him down in the box.
But James Forrest won Celtic the penalty for Christie to convert.
That set up a tense finish, and substitute Vakoun Bayo was dismissed in stoppage time after picking up a second booking.
Forrest drew the foul from Rennes captain Damien da Silva in what looked a soft award, though Celtic had a clear shout for a penalty turned down moments earlier when Christie was tripped.
With CFR Cluj shocking Lazio 2-1 in the other Group E match to top the section, it leaves Celtic level with their hosts as they welcome the Romanian champions back to Celtic Park in two weeks' time.
Reaction & as it happened
Who was your man of the match?
Margins fine in pulsating match
It is all about small margins in European football. Margins, and mistakes.
Had Mohamed Elyounoussi been a couple of inches further forward in a first half which ebbed and flowed nicely, he would have tapped Boli Bolingoli's beautiful cross into an empty net.
Had Celtic's Norwegian defender Ajer not been so determined to go to ground on Niang rather than stay on his feet, Rennes would not have won a first-half penalty, expertly despatched by the Senegalese striker himself into the corner of the goal vacated by the diving Fraser Forster.
The wall of noise that greeted the goal inside a raucous Roazhon Park was the aural equivalent of a mighty slap in the face for a Celtic side who had settled into the game well. That said, they did not overly test home goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, whereas Forster had to be lively to repel a powerful Raphinha shot and was mightily relieved to watch midfielder Clement Grenier head over and wide.
But there could not have been many inside the stadium who would have complained if Celtic had gone in level at the break.
The Scottish champions would have to be clinical. But when a chance came the way of captain Scott Brown from a free-kick early in the second half, he headed over.
And after conceding a penalty, Celtic might legitimately ask why they were not awarded one within five minutes of the restart when Christie appeared to be tripped just inside the area. Margins once again, and possibly a mistake from the match officials.
They did not have to wait long to claim for another one. Lovely trickery and footwork by Forrest bamboozled Da Silva, whose furious protests that he had not touched the turf-bound Scotland winger were dismissed by referee Jose Maria Sanchez Martinez. The penalty was superbly converted by the left foot of Christie to re-establish parity for Neil Lennon's side before the hour.
A brilliant free-kick from Grenier looked to be beating Forster at his near post as both sides probed. But it went just by the post, possibly aided by some goalkeeping fingertips, although a goal-kick was the ultimate result.
There was late drama, too. A pair of yellow cards in quick succession for Celtic's substitute Bayo, the second for what television pictures showed as minimal contact on Rennes goalkeeper Mendy, meant the visitors had to play three minutes of injury time with 10 men, with the home crowd venting their disapproval. There was nearly a late winner for Christie but a shot with the outside of that left boot was deflected away for a corner.
However, Celtic emerge from Rennes with a 1-1 draw, as they did under Lennon eight years ago. He said that result gave him a platform to build upon in Europe, and he'll be hoping history is once again repeating itself.
Christie graphic
Man of the match – Ryan Christie
For a skilful, forward-thinking display full of energy and creativity, and for a coolly-taken penalty to make sure Celtic did not leave with nothing, the award goes to Christie, although he was ably assisted by some good performances around him.
The 24-year-old was up against a high-quality Rennes midfield, with Grenier and Benjamin Bourigeaud catching the eye, and the Scot was quite happy to do his shift when it came to any defensive duties. Penalties bring pressure but Christie looked like he didn't have a care in the world as he made sure Celtic got off the mark straight away in Group E with a good point away from home.
Celtic end losing Europa streak – statistics
Rennes have now lost just one of their last 16 home games in European competition (Including qualifiers – W8 D7), going down 1-2 against Dynamo Kiev in last season's Europa League group stage.
Celtic have ended a run of three straight Europa League defeats since beating Rosenborg in November 2018. Incidentally, it's their first draw in the competition since sharing the points against Fenerbahce in December 2015.
With a red card for Vakoun Issouf Bayo, Celtic have received red cards in back-to-back Europa League games for the second time, having done so in 2015 against Ajax and Inter Milan.
Rennes' M'baye Niang scored his first Europa League goal since February, netting in a 3-1 win against Real Betis. He has scored three goals in his last four games in all competitions for Rennes.
Celtic's Ryan Christie has scored his ninth goal of the season (four in CL qualifiers and four league goals), netting from Celtic's first shot on target in the match.