Celtic 2 Hapoel Tel-Aviv 0: THE EUROPA League campaign has at times resembled a chore for Celtic. It will go no further, a matter entirely due to failings in earlier fixtures rather than what occurred here last night. Tony Mowbray was relying on a Rapid Vienna victory over Hamburg for unlikely salvation; that such a result did not occur in Germany finally put Celtic out of their misery.
This win, achieved over a tidy yet blunt Hapoel Tel Aviv team, is ultimately irrelevant other than halting what had been an utterly miserable European run.
Mowbray’s pre-match admission that progress in this competition represented all but an unattainable dream for Celtic was factually correct. A dour atmosphere, on and off the field, had descended before Georgios Samaras capitalised on a fine run and cross from Aiden McGeady to head home.
Samaras, clearly one of the players Mowbray has his reservations about, celebrated a mini-revival by virtue of a second goal in as many games. The Greek’s interventions also roused his team-mates, albeit briefly. Samaras struck a post with a 34th-minute effort, Barry Robson watching his rebound attempt blocked by flying Hapoel bodies.
Robson took it upon himself to offer some cheer, curling a superb free-kick into the Hapoel goal from 20 yards. It may have been too little, too late, but the precision of the midfielder’s strike alone was worthy of a loftier stage.
CELTIC: Zaluska, Hinkel, Caldwell, Loovens, Daniel Fox, N’Guemo, Crosas, McGeady (Naylor 73), Robson, McDonald, Samaras (Fortune 62). Subs not used: Boruc, McManus, Wilson, McGinn, McCourt.
HAPOEL TEL-AVIV: Enyeama, Bondarv, Badir, Douglas, Ben Dayan, Menteshashvili (Lala 46), Yadin (Zahavi 78), Vermouth, Natcho, Shechter, Yeboah (Vucicevic 46). Subs not used: Abharbanel, Zandberg, Merey, Kende. Booked: Yadin.
Referee: Tony Asumaa (Finland).
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/YVIRIOZQ35EWRPZXR27KGMO6YU.png)