Some Scottish Celtic fans may have had a case of déjà vu as Tom Rogic gave away a criminal pass in the closing stages of our win over Lazio on Thursday night.
The Aussie playmaker had the easiest job in the world as Celtic broke in the final of 95 minutes. He had James Forrest and Jonny Hayes running clear but underhit the pass and allowed fellow substitute Senad Lulic to knick in.
The ball eventually broke back to Danilo Cataldi who would have punctured Celtic hearts were it not for a stunning save from Fraser Forster. The Englishman tumbled to his right and threw up a strong right glove to batter the ball away. Yet he may not have been the most relieved man inside Celtic Park as Rogic looked on.
Rogic could have been the difference for Lazio
Celtic supporting members of the Tartan Army will recall a similar instance with Stuart Armstrong in a Scotland match against England not so long ago. The score was 2-1 in that instance too, with Armstrong’s similarly weak pass pounced open and punished with an equaliser seconds later.
Some well versed Celtic fans may also recall Olivier Ntcham’s moment of indecision in the Scottish Cup final in May. Thankfully, again, that came to nothing.
Rogic may have come on when Neil Lennon’s men were trailing but he was far from the reason for the victory. His involvement was a coincidence and nothing more. Rogic has a long way to go but he’ll be thankful that he can still see a path forward.
Were it not for Forster – his Celtic days may have been numbered.
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