Europa League Drama: Celtic Stunned, Palace and Sunderland Held, Juventus Denied by VAR

It was a night of late twists and costly slips in Europe. Celtic let a lead go and lost to Celta Vigo, Crystal Palace twice led in Istanbul but settled for a draw, Sunderland stayed unbeaten, and VAR snatched a winner from Juventus. Here is how it all unfolded.

Celtic Stunned by Celta Vigo Double

Celtic suffered more Europa League pain as Celta Vigo came from behind to win 2-1 at Parkhead. After defeats by Ferencvaros and Benfica in their first two league phase fixtures, Martin O’Neill’s side struggled to impose themselves on neat and tidy visitors.

Celta did not really test Hoops keeper Sam Johnstone in the first half. Then the game flipped.

Germany midfielder Mika Baur fired the home side in front just over a minute into the second half, sending the Celtic fans into raptures. The joy lasted only briefly.

Rodriguez Strikes Twice in Three Minutes

Spain defender Javi Rodriguez scored twice in three minutes. First came a header, then an unstoppable drive that stunned the home crowd. Celtic could not find a way back.

It was another damaging European night for the Scottish champions, who were knocked out of the Champions League qualifiers by LASK on a 5-4 aggregate after being 4-0 up at one stage.

The club’s ultras group, the Green Brigade, boycotted the game in protest at the running of the club. There appeared to be only a couple of hundred empty seats, while 3,000 raucous Celta Vigo fans added to the noise.

Palace Held in Istanbul as Mateta Scores

Jean-Philippe Mateta found the net, but Crystal Palace could not turn a Besiktas red card into a win. The game finished 2-2 in Istanbul.

Palace were looking to bounce back from Sunday’s 5-0 defeat at Brighton and were the superior side early on. Wilfred Ndidi still opened the scoring for the hosts in first-half stoppage time.

Pino and Mateta Turn It Around

Yeremy Pino drew the sides level six minutes after the restart. Four minutes later, Mateta fired Palace into a first lead. He had already seen a first-half goal chalked off by the video assistant referee.

Junior Olaitan netted a 73rd-minute equaliser for Besiktas. Umit Akdag was then sent off for a clumsy 77th-minute challenge on Jorgen Strand Larsen, who was forced off afterwards. Palace pushed but could not find the winner.

Sunderland’s Perfect Start Ends at Lech Poznan

Sunderland’s winning start in the Europa League ended with a 1-1 draw away to Lech Poznan. The point keeps them unbeaten in Europe this season after back-to-back wins over AZ Alkmaar and Torreense.

Regis Le Bris made six changes from the Premier League defeat to Bournemouth, including a first start of the season for Habib Diarra after injury.

Early Goal, Missed Chances

Sunderland struck in the second minute. Nilson Angulo pounced on a tame pass from Mateusz Lis and crossed for Timur Tutierov to nod home his first Sunderland goal.

Malick Fofana hit the post, Granit Xhaka and Nordi Mukiele were denied by Lis, and Robin Roefs made a double save at the other end. Poznan then levelled in the 70th minute through substitute Leo Bengtsson, who fired into the bottom corner from a corner rebound.

Roefs made a brilliant point-blank stop from Michal Gurgul soon after, and Chris Rigg’s late shot landed on the roof of the net as the spoils were shared.

Juventus Denied by VAR Against Rennes

Juventus dropped their first points of the campaign, drawing 2-2 with Rennes after coming from behind. Zeki Celik gave them a fifth-minute lead, and Musa Al-Taamari levelled 10 minutes later.

Boulaye Dia put Rennes ahead from the penalty spot two minutes before the break. Nick Woltemade equalised from the spot in the 67th minute.

Lucumi’s Late Goal Ruled Out

Juve thought they had won it in the 88th minute when Jhon Lucumi found the net from close range, but the effort was ruled out for offside. The draw at least spared them a second straight defeat after Sunday’s 3-0 home loss to Lazio.

Other Europa and Conference League Results

Brighton were held to a goalless draw by Czech side Jablonec, a rare blank for the Premier League’s top scorers, who had 23 goals in their first seven matches. Fabian Hurzeler made eight changes in his 100th match in charge.

Jonas Hofmann scored twice in three minutes as Bayer Leverkusen won 2-0 at OFI Crete to go top with nine points. In the Conference League, Hearts lost 2-0 at Trabzonspor, with Mohamed Salah involved in both goals.

What It Means

Celtic are in trouble with two defeats from their opening two games and a third this week. Palace, Sunderland and Juventus all keep their campaigns moving but will feel they left points behind. Leverkusen sit top with a perfect nine points.