Paul Tisdale’s departure from Celtic on Monday is fitting with what Michel-Ange Balikwisha went through 24 hours later at the Africa Cup of Nations.
A lot has been said about the mess Celtic made of the 2025 summer transfer window, and the role Tisdale played in who came in to try and boost the squad.
Unfortunately, Michel-Ange Balikwisha was one of the players signed for £5 million, and he just hasn’t got going at the champions of Scotland.
In the middle of December, Balikwisha left domestic matters to go on Africa Cup of Nations duty with DR Congo, and he now returns to Glasgow after a nightmare moment.
Michel-Ange Balikwisha: flop or unfairly treated?
Michel-Ange Balikwisha’s misplaced pass leads to DR Congo getting knocked out by Algeria at the Africa Cup of Nations
It’s the knockout stages at the Africa Cup of Nations, and Balikwisha featured for 33 minutes against Algeria in Morocco at the round of 16 stage.
Celtic’s summer signing was brought into the action three minutes from normal time, with the game goalless and heading into extra time.
That’s exactly what happened, with Algeria proving to be the better side, and DR Congo being wasteful on the ball in the final third.
Unfortunately for Balikwisha, his wastefulness proved to be costly because when attempting to play a through ball on the edge of the box, his pass was intercepted, and ten seconds later, Algeria went up the other end and scored a stunning winner with a minute left of extra time.
- Balikwisha’s games at AFCON: 3
- Position played: Left winger
- Starts: 0
- Off the bench: 3
- Total minutes: 72
- Goals: 0
- Assists: 0
Tell us your starting XI for Martin O’Neill’s first game back
Balikwisha returns to Celtic, feeling the heat from DR Congo fans
DR Congo fans on social media weren’t happy with the Celtic winger, with one fan claiming that he is ‘killing the match’ and ‘dragging us down.’
@Nathyva21 wrote: ‘It’s Balikwisha who’s killing our MATCH. It’s his mistake that’s dragging us down. Your s__y players who don’t know African football that you’re defending, do you see where we’re at?’
@EltoMok added: ‘Balikwisha/Mayele, It’s a disgrace, their action on their goal.’
This is the last thing Celtic wanted or needed because many of the fans would have hoped their struggling forward would return with a spring in his step.
Instead, his confidence has been dented even further, and now Martin O’Neill has a serious job on his hands.
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