Lazio v Celtic Live Blog: Scores, Updates and Live Commentary
By Kade Kistner
FT: Lazio 1-2 Celtic! This is solidifies Celtic’s top spot in the Group E table! What a wonderful result!
90+5′: GOALLLLL!!!!!!! Nthcam makes it Lazio 1-2 Celtic!!!!! Let’s GOOOOO!!
90′: Five minutes added.
89′: SUBSTITUTION. Moritz Bauer on for Forrest for some more defence it appears.
85′: FANTASTIC save by Forster on a one-one-one.
83′: SUBSTITUTION. Nir Bitton on for the injured Elhamed.
81′: Hatem Abd Elhamed is down on the pitch…
79′: Edouard takes the free kick and sails it just over the crossbar.
77′: SUBSTITUTION. Olivier Ntcham comes on for Ryan Christie.
75′: Lazio is really bringing the pressure knowing that their Europa League fate could be hangin in the balance.
61′: Lazio’s Caicedo had a great opportunity find another goal, but was well defended by Jullien.
60′: At the hour mark, this Celtic squad is looking and playing completely different this first half. Lennon has to be happy.
53′: Elyounoussi was VERY close to scoring a goal from 35-yards out. Just barely deflected.
51′: YELLOW CARD. Scott Brown is booked..
50′: McGregor had a nice shot, but it sailed over the top of the goal.
49′: Edouard had a shot on goal, but the Lazio goalkeeper handled it easily.
49′: Celtic has come out the gate playing with some urgency.
46′: And we back with the second half!
HT: Lazio 1-1 Celtic. What a half. The Hoops looked BAD early on. Defence was in shambles, and attacks could not get off the ground. However, the Forrest goal really brought the team alive. Defence looks great, and now the Celtic attacks are abundant.
42′: YELLOW CARD. Lazio’s Caicedo is the culprit after a bad tackle.
40′: Lazio quickly tries to retake the lead, but Forster makes a great save.
38′: GOAAALLLLLL!!!!! James Forrest with the Equalizer! You can hear the Celt fans cheering in Rome! Lazio 1-1 Celtic!
36′: Another promising looking attack by Celtic is blown up. Nothing going for them tonight.
29′: A great free-kick from Christie looked promising off the head of Jullien, but Lazio defended well. Still Lazio 1-0 Celtic.
28′: Johnny Hayes had a great cross, but nothing was able to come of it. Corner for Celtic.
26′: One chance after another for Lazio. Christie does a great job of breaking this one up with a sliding tackle.
24′: After another dangerous attack by Lazio, the Italian side gets a corner. It was headed away harmless by Jullien.
21′: Once again the back line broke down for Lazio’s Immobile to have a chance. Great save there on Ajer’s part. Easily could have been 2-0.
20′: Celtic launched another great looking attack. If the pressure continues, the Hoops could even this up.
18′: Celtic had what appeared to be a solid attack forming up. However, Edouard was challenged in the penalty box and lost the ball.
15′: Lazio has been in complete control in the early going. The Hoops have showed up looking as if they are unprepared to play this match.
11′: Celtic get a corner. Lazio head it away. Celtic’s back line needs to improve, and quickly.
7′: GOAL. Lazio’s Immobile scored. 2 goals in three matches. Lazio 1-0 Celtic.
7′: Another Lazio corner that was handled by Edouard. Lazio has controlled most of the match.
3‘: Lazio had a decent shot that was well handled by Forster. Did not matter though as Lazio was offsides.
1′: Lazio gets things started with a corner kick, no harm however.
19:55 BST: We have kickoff!
With the starting lineups in, it seems Johnny Hayes has won over Neil Lennon for the start over Greg Taylor. Hayes has more of a history with Lennon, while Taylor has only seen the pitch once while wearing the Hoops. In any case, Celtic has enough depth to be able to pull off the draw, if not a victory.
Lazio XI
Strakosha
Vavro
Acerbi
Lazzari
Parolo
Leiva
Milinkovic
Jony
Caicedo
Immobile
Celtic XI
Kris Ajer
Scott Brown (C)
Substitutes: Craig Gordon, Nir Bitton, Moritz Bauer, Greg Taylor, Olivier Ntcham, Lewis Morgan, Scott Sinclair
Celtic travels to Rome, Italy to take on Lazio in a Europa League Group stage match that could determine the outcome of the Group E table. Currently, Celtic sits ahead of the table after defeating Lazio 2-1 in dramatic fashion when Lazio visited Parkhead last month.
Currently, the Bhoys will be without Vakoun Issouf Bayo, Mikey Johnston, Boli Bolingoli-Mbombo, as well as Leigh Griffiths. The surprise comes with Boli and Johnston not making the trip to Rome, especially considering how well they have played as of late. This leaves only a few options for Celtic boss Neil Lennon as far as determining who to use on the defensive side of the pitch.
Playing in Stadium Olimpico will be difficult for the Bhoys, as it is a notoriously hostile environment. That challenge, coupled with Lazio’s skill will prove to be a tough matchup for the Hoops today.