Roma cruised to a 3-0 victory over Celtic in the Europa League, with Evan Ferguson delivering a superb brace that answered his manager’s recent criticism in emphatic fashion.
Gian Piero Gasperini had publicly challenged the young Irish striker to raise his levels “technically and mentally,” sparking rumours that his loan deal could be cut short. Ferguson responded on the pitch, striking twice before halftime to leave Celtic reeling.
His first goal came with minimal fuss: Matías Soulé slid the ball wide to Mehmet Zeki Çelik, whose low cross found Ferguson unmarked for a simple finish.
Soulé was again the architect for Ferguson’s second, feeding the striker, who turned sharply and drilled a low effort beyond Kasper Schmeichel for Roma’s third.
By then, Celtic were drifting into resignation rather than rage. Under new manager Wilfried Nancy, the Scottish champions have suffered consecutive defeats, but the bigger concern lies in the manner of this one.
Roma dominated from the outset, collecting their second win in Glasgow this season with little resistance.
Celtic’s ambitions of re-establishing themselves as a European force looked distant as Gasperini’s side, buoyed by Ferguson’s early double, dismantled a fragile, disorganised home team. Sunday’s League Cup final against St Mirren now looms large for Nancy, who is under pressure to show he can coax a coherent performance from a squad that has lost its spark.
Roma arrived in Glasgow fresh off a convincing display at Ibrox and carried that confidence into Celtic Park. Gasperini’s men pressed aggressively and pounced on Celtic’s mistakes, the first of which came when Schmeichel gifted possession cheaply before Soulé’s corner prompted Liam Scales to head into his own net while attempting to defend against Gianluca Mancini.
Reo Hatate’s miscontrol soon presented Roma with another opening, though Ferguson struck the post. Schmeichel’s save from the sensational Soulé only delayed the inevitable, and the Irishman netted twice before the interval.
Celtic nearly found a lifeline deep into stoppage time, but Arne Engels smacked his penalty off the post after being brought down by Mario Hermoso.
Nancy made a triple substitution at the restart, and Kelechi Iheanacho squandered a golden chance early in the second half before scoring, only for VAR to rule him offside. Leon Bailey experienced the same frustration when his late effort was also cancelled after review, prompting many fans to head for the exits early.
Roma eased through the closing stages, while Celtic were left to confront a grim reality: their new manager faces a monumental rebuilding job, and the clock is already ticking.
