UEFA Europa League Play-off
Thursday, October 1, 2020
Stadion Bilino Polje in Zenica

FK SARAJEVO…0

CELTIC…1
(Edouard 69)

CELTIC booked their place in the UEFA Europa League group stages after defeating FK Sarajevo 1-0 in Bosnia. The home side defended well to keep a dominant Celtic at bay for the majority of the game but Odsonne Edouard emerged with the vital goal to put the Hoops into tomorrow’s (Friday) draw.

Despite dominating possession and creating some good chances, Celtic had to wait until midway through the second half to get the goal they thoroughly deserved.

Celtic started well and immediately set about pressuring their opponents with some good build-up play.

FK Sarajevo were fortunate not to find themselves under greater pressure in the opening minutes when a handball on the edge of the penalty area did not result in a free-kick against them.

The Hoops were dealt an injury blow early on when Nir Bitton went to ground clutching his ankle and Neil Lennon was forced to replace him with fellow Israeli Hatem Elhamed.

While the home side did not have nearly as much possession as Celtic, they still showed they could be a threat on the counter-attack, particularly in the wide areas with the pace of Matthias Fanimo and Benjamin Tatar.

Tartar created the first chance for his side, bursting down the left flank and working enough space for himself to get a shot off from a tight angle which Vasilis Barkas saved.

The Bosnian midfielder was Sarajevo’s main avenue of attack and he managed to trouble the Celtic defence on the half-hour mark when he nipped between Kristoffer Ajer and Jeremie Frimpong inside the box and fired off a shot which was blocked.

Greg Taylor and Frimpong troubled the home side’s defence in the wide areas but Celtic struggled to translate their dominance in possession to chances in front of goal during the first half.

Christie was purposeful with his play through the middle and helped create Celtic’s best chance of the first half. The Scotland midfielder zipped a good pass to Edouard inside the box and the Frenchman teed up Mohamed Elyounoussi with his first touch. Elyounoussi stuck the ball well on the volley with his right foot but his effort was too close to the keeper who managed to hold on to it.

Celtic were increasingly troubling Sarajevo as half-time approached and they continued to maintain their attacking intent immediately after the break.

Kristoffer Ajer nearly stabbed in Christie’s corner but he failed to convert the chance after the ball fell to his feet just outside the six-yard box. His compatriot, Elyounoussi, then fashioned an opportunity for himself when he ran across the edge of the area and stuck a good shot towards the far corner but Vladan Kovacevic made a strong save to keep his side in the game.

Croatian defender Hrvoje Milicevic sent a reminder that Celtic could not afford to switch off when he sent his glancing header wide from a corner.

It was a rare threat for the Bosnian side and it did nothing to knock Celtic off their attacking rhythm.

Sarajevo finally bucked under the pressure from the Scottish champions in the 69th minute when Edouard scored the vital goal for the Hoops. Some neat link-up play between Elyounoussi and Christie allowed the Scotland midfielder to get a shot off from around 18-yards and Edouard was on queue to pounce on the rebound.

The game opened up after the goal and Celtic looked eager to kill off the tie. Sarajevo could not find a way past the Celtic defence and looked vulnerable to a counter-attack from their adversaries.

Christie had a shot saved from the keeper and came close again moments later when Edouard fed the ball into his path following a quick break. He tried to dink the ball past the keeper from a tight angle but a defender managed to get back to make the block.

Patryk Klimala came on for Edouard and the Polish striker could have put the game to bed had he connected with Frimpong’s inviting cross into the box. The Celtic full-back then had a go himself after dribbling in from the right and flashing a left-footed shot narrowly wide of the far post.

CELTIC: Barkas, Taylor, Duffy, Bitton (Elhamed 9), Ajer, Brown, McGregor, Christie (Ntcham 85), Elyounoussi, Frimpong, Edouard (Klimala 78)

Subs: Bain, Jullien, Turnbull, Griffiths

SARAJEVO: Kovacevic, Oremus, Milicevic, Dupovac, Pidro, Dokanovic (Jukic 84), Pejovic, Susic, Fanimo (Velkosk 84), Ahmetovic (Handzic 68), Tatar.
Subs: Dzafic, Hodzic, Hebibovici, Serbecic

Website Man of the Match: Ryan Christie

Edouard helps Celtic qualify for Europa League group stages