CELTIC MANAGER NEIL Lennon refused to single out Jozo Simunovic after the worst night of his second spell ended in a disastrous exit from the Europa League.
The Scottish champions had put themselves in a strong position to join rivals Rangers in the last 16 of the competition. However, a litany of mistakes – Simunovic the culprit for too many of them – resulted in Copenhagen winning 3-1 in Celtic Park last night, and 4-2 on aggregate.
In response, Lennon said: “As you can imagine I’m hugely disappointed. We basically shot ourselves in the foot — we were in control of the game. In the first half we were in total control. At half-time we were pleased with how the game had gone. Then we made a mistake and gave them oxygen and encouragement.
“We got back into the game, deservedly so. And then it was about managing the game and we didn’t. We shot ourselves in the foot for the second goal and that was the big moment of the tie. It was a big opportunity and we let it go. It’s bitterly disappointing.
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“We overplayed at the back. These players have been absolutely brilliant for me so I’m not going to sit here and criticise them. They know they have let themselves down a little bit. We’ve had a good Europa League run and I’m really disappointed it’s ended. We did all the forcing. Copenhagen didn’t have to work hard to get their goals. We gave them away quite cheaply and that’s not like us at all.”
Lennon also said he would back Simunovic to bounce back. “I have a duty of care to him. He’s come back from a long-term injury and he’s been fantastic. If I need to pick him up, I will. He made a mistake, he holds his hands up and we move on. They will be hurting. The fans as well.”
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‘We basically shot ourselves in the foot’
CELTIC MANAGER NEIL Lennon refused to single out Jozo Simunovic after the worst night of his second spell ended in a disastrous exit from the Europa League.
The Scottish champions had put themselves in a strong position to join rivals Rangers in the last 16 of the competition. However, a litany of mistakes – Simunovic the culprit for too many of them – resulted in Copenhagen winning 3-1 in Celtic Park last night, and 4-2 on aggregate.
In response, Lennon said: “As you can imagine I’m hugely disappointed. We basically shot ourselves in the foot — we were in control of the game. In the first half we were in total control. At half-time we were pleased with how the game had gone. Then we made a mistake and gave them oxygen and encouragement.
“We got back into the game, deservedly so. And then it was about managing the game and we didn’t. We shot ourselves in the foot for the second goal and that was the big moment of the tie. It was a big opportunity and we let it go. It’s bitterly disappointing.
“We overplayed at the back. These players have been absolutely brilliant for me so I’m not going to sit here and criticise them. They know they have let themselves down a little bit. We’ve had a good Europa League run and I’m really disappointed it’s ended. We did all the forcing. Copenhagen didn’t have to work hard to get their goals. We gave them away quite cheaply and that’s not like us at all.”
Lennon also said he would back Simunovic to bounce back. “I have a duty of care to him. He’s come back from a long-term injury and he’s been fantastic. If I need to pick him up, I will. He made a mistake, he holds his hands up and we move on. They will be hurting. The fans as well.”
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Celtic Copenhagen Europa League wounded