Scott Brown thought Olivier Ntcham had blown chance to make history

By John Reid

November 9, 2019

Celtic’s 2-1 win over Lazio in the Europa League group stages on Thursday will be remembered for may years to come.

For a start, the victory saw Celtic win in Italy for the first time in the club’s history. The nature of the win also makes the result memorable, as Olivier Ntcham scored the winning goal in the 95th minute to spark wild scenes of celebration.

Revelled in a memorable victory

(Photo by Matteo Ciambelli/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Celtic skipper Scott Brown was at the forefront of the celebrations, as he revelled in one of Celtic’s best nights in Europe for years.

However, the Hoops captain has admitted that at first he thought Ntcham had blown the chance to create history for the Bhoys. He was concerned that Ntcham had taken a bad touch when advancing on goal in the final minute of the game.

“Touch was a bit too heavy”

(Photo by Giuseppe Bellini/Getty Images)

“We all know Oli has that in his locker, and he produced a quality finish. I actually thought his touch was a bit too heavy but the angle didn’t matter to him. We had the belief and trust in him and it was a special goal” Brown said, as reported by the official Celtic website.

It has to be said, it was a bit of a concern when Ntcham seemed to overrun the ball when just about through on goal. However, he showed the quality needed to win the game with a composed finish.

Ntcham has proved his qualities in the past for the Hoops, so perhaps it was no surprise to see the player manage to overcome the poor touch to score.

It was the perfect time to score the winning goal as well, as it gave Lazio no chance to reply and it booked the Hoops’ place in the last 32 of the Europa League. It will be remembered for years to come. In time people will mist likely forget Ntcham’s poor touch, as he found the back of the net.