"This was a little more fraught than it needed to be and looked as if it would be for Celtic. Still, Martin O'Neill can focus on the most important fact in that he has guided the Scottish champions into the Europa League's playoff phase. Job done, once again, for the effervescent O'Neill. Celtic were fully deserving of their win in what became an entertaining clash."
"The Irishman will know Celtic must improve in order to make meaningful, further progress in this competition but such detail can wait. Even continuation in the Europa League had looked a long shot in the latter part of 2025. Utrecht will be delighted to see the back of a tournament which yielded just a single point from eight grisly fixtures."
"This occasion marked more than two decades since O'Neill last managed Celtic in a home European game. Milan were the visitors for a scoreless draw back then, in a period when Celtic jousted with the best on the continent. The intervening years have not been particularly kind to Celtic in European context but in O'Neill, they have a manager who relishes foreign forays."
Martin O'Neill guided Celtic into the Europa League playoff phase despite a nervy second-half wobble. Celtic deserved the win in an entertaining clash. O'Neill's return to European home management for Celtic came more than two decades after his previous match, when Milan visited for a scoreless draw. Utrecht arrived already eliminated and struggling domestically, having taken just one point from eight fixtures. Continuation in the Europa League presented an opportunity for meaningful progress, though Celtic will need improvement and transfer market activity to advance further. Victories over Utrecht and Falkirk would raise supporter optimism after a mixed campaign.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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