Late goal from Dedryck Boyata hands victory to Celtic vs Qarabag

Commons had yet to kick a ball this season. In a bizarre injury, a wardrobe fell on his foot during the close season. It was fitting that, seconds after taking to the field, the 31-year-old should take the key and unlock the door to a critical first-leg victory over Qarabag, champions of Azerbaijan.

In six years at Manchester City, Dedryck Boyata managed one goal in Europe. Six weeks after joining Celtic, he has already trebled his tally. 

As he buried the Commons corner from close range, the Belgian - scorer of a critical opener in the last round against Iceland’s Stjarnan - ran to the far corner and buried himself amid relieved, joyous supporters.

Celtic – and their fretting support – had begun to fear the goal might never come.

For so long this had been a night of deeply etched furrows. Of arch frustration. A night when the Parkhead side pressed and probed and passed the ball left and right, but struggled to make inroads going forward. When they did, Qarabag keeper Ibrahim Sehic was defiant.

In their black shirts, the Azerbaijani champions swarmed around the home team like demented wasps. Their formation matched Celtic, their work-rate was ferocious. They were drilled, disciplined and tidy. For Scotland’s champions, there is much to ponder before Monday’s 3,500-mile flight to Baku for a second leg which already looks treacherous.

‘We had possession and we put pressure on them,’ pondered manager Ronny Deila afterwards. ‘But we have to turn that into chances. They were strong opponents.

‘European football is so tight, but we are in a good position. If we score, they have to score three. Are we favourites? It’s hard to say, anything can happen in football.

‘I think we have speed in the team to counter-attack and we have hard-working players in midfield. The central defenders were great tonight, they were class. Boyata has settled in, and he scores goals…’

Who scores Celtic’s goals has become a subject of some debate.

Deila raised eyebrows by sticking with Nadir Ciftci up front once more. Leigh Griffiths, scorer of five in the last four games, suffered toothache before the game and had slept little, but appeared eventually on the field to great acclaim. Few expected Boyata to provide the bite Celtic needed instead of Ciftci or Griffiths.

For long spells Qarabag, displaced from their Agdam home city since 1993 by ethnic tensions and warfare, parked their tanks on the Parkhead lawn. They finally cracked under fire just as Celtic’s artillery looked liable to run out.

How much firepower Gurban Gurbanov’s side have to turn this tie around is the question. In the second qualifying round they drew 0-0 at home with Rudar of Montenegro, sneaking a 1-0 win away. They show no sign of being prolific scorers, making Boyata’s goal a potential Klondyke moment on a night when Celtic so often struck dust.

It took 24 minutes for the home team to muster a concerted effort in a stodgy first half. Mikael Lustig’s pass down the right flank prompted a lovely reverse flick from Stefan Johansen into the path of Gary Mackay-Steven as the winger cut inside.

He managed a shot at goal before the inevitable defensive tackles snapped in, keeper Sehic gathering low at the second attempt.

 

(Daily Mail)