Celtic goalkeeper Conor Hazard was sent off as his Northern Ireland under-21s side went down to a 3-0 defeat to Romania on Monday night.
The 21-year-old saw red for taking out Dennis Man as he ran through on goal after 38 minutes. The game was still goalless at that stage but not for much longer after half-time as the Romanians rattled in three in 20 minutes.
Fellow Celtic keeper Liam Hughes came on following Hazard’s dismissal and made a few good saves before eventually succumbing to the home side’s finishing.
The result leaves the Northern Irish side fifth in Group 8 of qualifying, with just two points from their opening four matches.
Hopefully Hazard can improve from Northern Ireland disappointment
The red card obviously isn’t great news for Hazard but it’s not too bad from a Celtic point of view. The keeper isn’t likely to forget being sent off for his country in a hurry and he may now learn from his mistake and not be quite as rash the next time he comes out to close an attacker.
Celtic weren’t harmed in any way by the incident as it happened on international duty, but Hazard will improve as a result. It’s like when young defenders go out on loan to get experience. You want them to make mistakes while they’re away because that’s what makes them better.
Hopefully Hazard doesn’t beat himself up too much and he can focus and trying to force himself into the reckoning at club level.
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