Villa Park bedlam sums up gripping Celtic campaign

Celtic suffered an engrossing defeat at Aston Villa, but it almost perfectly encapsulated everything the club has experienced during their thrilling and ultimately successful Champions League campaign. That journey now moves to a mouth-watering two-legged play-off against either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in under a fortnight.

In Birmingham, the early stages mirrored the horror show against Dortmund, with Villa scoring twice in the opening five minutes and missing a host of other chances. Celtic looked shell-shocked and overawed facing a top side in a raucous stadium. But as the memories of the Westfalenstadion on matchday two, which have been banished by recent progress in Europe's premier competition, came flooding back, Celtic rallied.

They showed the battling spirit and character that saw them fight for a point against Atalanta and come from behind to draw with Brugge. Then, Adam Idah ended his goal drought with a brace to draw the sides level, displaying the kind of ruthlessness shown against RB Leipzig and Bratislava. This brought Celtic right back into the game, with a fierce contest continuing until stoppage time when Morgan Rogers completed his hat-trick to make it 4-2, Villa’s second-half pressure eventually proving too much.

Even in disappointment, Celtic’s players and supporters, exhausted after another epic night, left Villa Park knowing the story was not over. They will face another of Europe’s giants in the play-offs, with the draw taking place on Friday. It was their target and now they have achieved it, Brendan Rodgers and his players will be hoping to make the most of the opportunity.

While Celtic’s fightback and competitiveness were admirable, the defeat was also a reminder of how unforgiving games against top sides in the Champions League can be. Villa scored four, missed a penalty, hit the post, and had one cleared off the line, racking up an expected goals tally of 3.79. Celtic looked chaotic at times, pressing and trying to transition the ball quickly. Sometimes it worked, but there were also a lot of mistakes. They were caught trying to play out from the back for Villa’s second goal. Liam Scales was punished for being too high up the pitch for the third, with Villa easily breaking through the lines on the counter. A rash tackle from Auston Trusty gave away a penalty, and the American’s poor header in the first half led to Jacob Ramsey hitting the post. Young defender Dane Murray was dispossessed in his own box in stoppage time, leading to the fourth goal. There were numerous moments where Celtic put themselves in trouble.

Defensive tasks were always going to be difficult without their best center-back Cameron Carter-Vickers, while Daizen Maeda’s defensive contribution was also missed, with Villa getting joy down the flanks in the first half. Maeda will be suspended for the first leg of the next round, while Kyogo Furuhashi has gone to Rennes and left-back Alex Balde is also set to depart, making the final days of the transfer window crucial for the club. With Real or Bayern on the horizon, they need to ensure the squad is as strong as possible from front to back.

Aside from the Dortmund game, Celtic have been competitive and adaptable throughout the campaign, and reaching the play-offs is a reward for their efforts. In the week that Celtic lost their star striker Furuhashi, Idah provided a timely reminder of his capabilities to anxious club supporters. That may be the biggest positive to take from the defeat. The Irishman’s two goals, the first time Villa have conceded at home in the Champions League, not only pulled his side back from a losing position but showed his finishing prowess to many who had forgotten he possessed it. The Irishman’s last goal came in a 5-0 home win over Ross County at the end of November, until he found the net again on Wednesday.

“BVP” – Before Villa Park – could become a reference point in Idah’s Celtic career if he can use it as a springboard and fill the void left by Furuhashi. Rodgers will hope that Idah’s instinctive finishing, especially the first goal, where he managed a brilliant reaction in a difficult position to lash the ball home, can spark something. He also showed his ability to run in behind, particularly in one moment in the second half when he burst in behind and got a shot away. Rodgers said after the game that it was “massive” for his confidence, while the campaign has also boosted Celtic’s overall reputation on club football’s biggest stage. Their first-half fightback in Birmingham was a great example of their progress.

From now on, they have nothing to lose, but the next challenge is to ensure that the pride they have worked so hard to restore remains intact when facing one of European football’s giants.