Celtic Fall Short as Braga Edge Europa League Clash
What a dramatic night it was at Celtic Park. Under the floodlights, with thousands of fans roaring them on, Celtic were handed another frustrating evening in Europe. The Scottish champions were beaten 1–0 by Sporting Braga in their Europa League group stage clash, a game that swung with moments of chaos, controversy, and sheer brilliance from both sets of players.
The only goal of the match arrived early, in the 20th minute, when Ricardo Horta unleashed a stunning long-range strike that completely wrong-footed Kasper Schmeichel. It was one of those moments when silence briefly fell around the stadium before the away section erupted. The shot was taken beautifully, and the keeper was left with no chance.
Celtic thought they had found their way back into the contest when Kelechi Iheanacho raced clear and buried the ball into the net just after halftime. The celebrations were cut short, though, as VAR intervened. After a lengthy check, the goal was ruled out for a handball in the build-up. Fans inside the ground were furious, many calling it one of the worst VAR calls they had seen. That sense of injustice hung in the air for the rest of the match.
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Despite the setback, Celtic did create chances. Cameron Carter-Vickers headed narrowly wide from a corner, while substitute James Forrest injected energy late on. Sebastian Tounekti almost grabbed the equaliser with a low strike towards the bottom corner, but Braga goalkeeper Lukas Horníček produced an outstanding save to keep it out. In truth, that moment summed up the night—Celtic pushing forward, but Braga just that bit sharper when it mattered.
Brendan Rodgers’ men looked unsettled at times, even changing formation mid-match in an effort to turn the tide. There was plenty of endeavour and more possession for Celtic—almost 57% by the final whistle—but too often their play broke down in the final third. In contrast, Braga were disciplined, quick on the counter, and looked dangerous whenever Ricardo Horta was involved.
The result leaves Braga flying high with maximum points from their opening two games, while Celtic sit near the foot of the group table with just a single point collected. It means their hopes of progressing already look fragile, and Rodgers will know improvements must come quickly.
For the home fans, there was pride in the fight shown but real disappointment at the lack of end product—and no small amount of anger at that overturned goal. For Braga, it was a professional performance capped by a moment of quality from their captain.
Nights like this remind us just how fine the margins are in European football. Celtic weren’t completely outplayed, but a single strike and a controversial decision made the difference. As the crowd filtered out of Celtic Park, the frustration was clear: another European night where the effort was there, but the result slipped away.
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