Celtic pyschodrama engulfing team as VAR delivers mother of all smackdowns
Celtic determined to feed the Hogh but wait for goal goes on
Celtic built on their uplifting midweek victory over Besiktas but found the going hard against Neil McCann’s well-drilled team.
The champions possibly should have won by more than just Liam Scales’ 25th minute goal. However, Kasper Hogh’s woes are threatening to become a psychodrama afflicting the entire team.
The Dane isn’t playing badly. Never mind the goal he scored after 13 minutes that was then very harshly chopped off for a foul in the build-up. Another shot midway through the second half appeared goal-bound until a heroic block from substitute MJ Kamson-Kamara deflected the ball over the bar. Events seem to be conspiring against him.
Hogh was subbed off with 20 minutes left to very warm applause. He was sitting on the bench when he heard his name surprisingly announced as the man of the match. If this was an attempt to encourage the striker, it seemed a bit cringingly overboard.
Hogh was also on the bench when Celtic were awarded a penalty after 75 minutes so couldn’t grab the ball in an effort to put everything to bed. Nygren accepted the responsibility instead and saw Nico Mantl make a brilliant diving block to keep Kilmarnock in the game.
The fans certainly appreciated Hogh’s endeavours and clearly believe that while the statistics books might state otherwise, he has already morally broken his Parkhead duck.
His neat finish was cruelly chalked off - after the Dane had completed the understandably comprehensive celebration routine - for a foul by Mika Baur in the build-up that very few saw. Referee John Beaton nevertheless seemed very sure having been called to his monitor and spent little time deliberating.
A clearly agitated Hogh then wasted a good chance to score shortly afterwards although credit should go to Mantl, the true man of the match, for blocking with his foot when the striker had just the keeper to beat. Mantl's later penalty stop - after a VAR check confirmed a handball by Aaron Tshibola had taken place inside the box – meant bottom-of-the-table Kilmarnock were still fighting until the end.
They came so close to taking the point their efforts certainly deserved. With the clock having ticked into the four minutes of additional time, substitute Eric Ring reached the byline and swung in a cross that Ieuan Owen somehow failed to connect with in the middle.
As for Celtic, with their No. 9 seemingly so out of touch and luck, their No. 5 stepped in. Scales scored the kind of goal that is eluding Hogh at present after he got on the end of Duran’s floated cross. The ball kissed the crossbar before landing in the net. That’s three goals for the defender this season – equal with Hogh.
A planned period of silence to commemorate the war dead was cut short before kick-off due to the volume of booing in the stadium. Beaton barely gave it ten seconds before blowing his whistle. It all felt a little unsettling with Celtic taking longest to get themselves focused, at the risk of very nearly conceding the first goal. As was the case at the death, the visitors came close to scoring right at the start. Tom Lowery even had two bites at the cherry, with Celtic goalkeeper Sam Johnstone the equal to his efforts both times.
Celtic sought to take advantage of the let-off and immediately got on with the seeming job in hand: helping Hogh get off the mark at Parkhead. Nygren tried to place a cross on his head after eight minutes but the striker was crowded out. It was almost as if the team had been specifically set up to let Hogh score. And he did. 4.13pm, the moment Celtic Park had been waiting for – or so it seemed.
With Jota, making his first start since April 2025, and Camilo Duran either side of Hogh and Nygren in the space behind, it ought to have been a centre-forward’s dream. Especially given all these players seemingly had one aim in mind: feed the Hogh.
Parkhead exploded with joy unconfined. Duran slipped the ball through to Nygren, who swivelled and played in Hogh. The Dane could not miss and to be fair, he didn’t. A very composed finish into the corner had him pointing to the heavens and crossing himself and making all manner of gestures of gratitude before VAR delivered the mother of all smackdowns: Goal disallowed.
Celtic secured the three points in the end, albeit with one or two scares. They have reached the latest international break in marginally better shape than last time, when successive Rangers defeats meant Martin O’Neill’s job seemed in very real jeopardy.
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