Celtic suffered a humiliating 0-3 defeat at the hands of AS Roma in the Europa League at Parkhead, delivering a devastating blow to the club and immediately putting immense pressure on new manager Wilfried Nancy. The loss marks a historic low for the manager, who becomes the first in Celtic's history to lose both of his opening matches in charge.
A Nightmare First Half
The match unfolded as a complete nightmare for the home side, particularly during a disastrous first half where Celtic conceded all three goals. The collapse began almost immediately, with defender Liam Scales scoring an unfortunate own goal just six minutes into the contest, setting a terrible tone for the evening.
Roma’s advantage was swiftly compounded by Republic of Ireland striker Evan Ferguson, who is currently on loan from Brighton. Ferguson netted a clinical brace before the half-time whistle, effectively sealing a deeply frustrating and embarrassing first 45 minutes for the Hoops.
Adding to Celtic’s woes, they were handed a lifeline in first-half stoppage time when Arne Engels was awarded a penalty. However, Engels’ resultant shot struck the post, denying Celtic a crucial goal that might have provided a glimmer of hope. Missing the penalty left Wilfried Nancy’s side in a severely depressed state as they headed into the break trailing by three goals.
Tactical Flaws Lead To Complete Collapse
Wilfried Nancy took the reins of a team enjoying excellent momentum, having achieved a run of seven wins in eight matches under interim manager Martin O'Neill. However, his swift decision to implement a three-centre-back, two-wing system proved to be fundamentally ineffective and exposed glaring flaws in the team’s structure.
The left-sided central defensive trio—comprising Scales, Auston Trusty, and Kieran Tierney—lacked the necessary cohesion and understanding. Furthermore, Sebastian Tounekti and Yang Hyun-jun visibly struggled to adapt to their new, demanding wing-back roles. Midfielder Reo Hatate was deployed in a deeper position but failed to offer adequate defensive protection against Roma's relentless and intense pressing game.
Roma expertly exploited the wide channels and Celtic’s evident disorganization. The visitors created numerous chances throughout the half and could have extended their lead even further before Ferguson bagged his second goal in the 36th minute, capitalizing on a sharp cross from Zeki Celik. Goalkeeper Schmeichel was required to make several crucial saves to prevent an even deeper deficit, but the unrelenting pressure ultimately caused the home team to completely collapse.
Second Half Substitutions Offer Little Consolation
Trailing 0-3, Nancy made a triple substitution, bringing on Colby Donovan to reinforce the defense, alongside Paulo Bernardo and Kelechi Iheanacho to inject fresh energy into the attack. These changes did bring a marginal improvement, with Celtic appearing much more cohesive and proactive.
Iheanacho even managed to put the ball in the net after a tidy combination play following a pass from Engels, but the goal was correctly ruled offside following a VAR review. On the flip side, Roma substitute Leon Bailey also had a spectacular curling effort into the top corner disallowed by VAR.
Celtic created a few more half-chances as the game wore on, but none were sufficient to genuinely threaten a comeback. The 0-3 defeat leaves Celtic stranded on 7 points in the Europa League group.
Crisis Looms Ahead of Final Showdown
With two challenging matches remaining—an away trip to Bologna and a final home game against Utrecht—Celtic's chances of progression are still mathematically alive, but they can afford absolutely no further mistakes.
The immediate concern for Wilfried Nancy is far more pressing. His next fixture is the highly anticipated Scottish League Cup final against St Mirren. Another defeat in such a high-stakes encounter would immediately plunge his tenure into a major crisis, demanding swift and decisive action to restore confidence and adapt his tactical approach.