Pat Bonner admits Celtic will be “relieved” after Copenhagen draw

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BBC pundit and former Celtic goalkeeper Pat Bonner has stated that the Hoops will be “relieved” to have left Copenhagen with the draw.

Neil Lennon’s men looked to be in cruise control at 1-0. Odsonne Edouard’s delicate chip had Celtic in front, and it seemed as though the scoreline was going to be anything we wanted. However, Dame N’Doye’s goal sparked a second-half revival from Copenhagen as the first-leg finished 1-1.

It could’ve been a lot worse for Celtic too. Ryan Christie was penalised for a late hand-ball that saw Fraser Forster have to make a stunning save to deny Jens Stage from the penalty spot. Copenhagen piled some late pressure on, but Celtic held out for the point.

Bonner was speaking via BBC’s live text coverage of the game (20/02, 19:55), and stated that the Parkhead side will be thankful they got out of Denmark level.

“A draw is a good result for them and they will be very happy that they have the second leg at Celtic Park, but they have really been made to work for it.

“The penalty could have changed it, but they got away with it. They will be relieved.”

A decent result, but regret should be on our mind

Yes, I know you can’t argue with an away draw in Europe, particularly a score one when you’re in a two-legged tie. However, nobody can watch that game and think we shouldn’t have any regrets.

As well as his goal, Edouard missed three big chances whilst Callum McGregor and James Forrest also fluffed good openings. Celtic, in all seriousness, could’ve been out of sight with a heavy win in Denmark.

Instead, we’ve had to settle for the draw, and in the grand scheme it’s a positive one. You have to fancy beating this Copenhagen side at Celtic Park, especially considering we had 15 shots to Copenhagen’s four (BBC).

It also stretches our fine away run this season to just one defeat in eight games. We’ll now bring Copenhagen back to our home stadium, a place we’ve won six out of seven matches in Europe this season.

What was concerning was how tired Celtic looked in the closing stages last night. Our touch on the ball was sloppy and we kept giving away needless possession. Copenhagen were clearly playing with the wind in their sails, but it remained disappointing to see us perform so poorly towards the end.

Regardless, we take a positive result back to Celtic Park now, but there’s not a lot of relief in it like Bonner says. Last night could’ve been so much more than a 1-1 draw.