Mohamed Elyounoussi’s last-minute goal allows Celtic to squeeze through 1-0 in Riga

Riga's Herdi Prenga, left, and Marko Djurisic challenge for the ball with Celtic's Shane Duffy, center, during the clubs' Europa League third qualifying round tie at Skonto stadium. (AP Photo/Roman Koksarov)

The best that could be offered of Celtic in Riga was that they ultimately got the job done to move into the Europa League play-off stage and an away tie against Sarajevo.

The worst that could be said of Neil Lennon’s men is that it took them to within the closing seconds of normal time to find a way through against the Latvian champions. There was a palpable sense of relief, more than any delight, when Celtic’s two most crucial substitutes combined to end the home side’s resistance.

A deft ball over the top found Jeremie Frimpong down the right, an area he had pounded to become Celtic’s most productive attacking weapon. The Dutchman, brought on for the injured James Forrest after 35 minutes, didn’t deliver a clean cross. But his bobbing cutback provided all the opportunity Mohamed Elyounoussi required to spare his team from extra-time – or worse – with the Norwegian sweeping a low effort in at the far corner only eight minutes on from entering the fray in place of the ineffectual Odsonne Edouard.

The Frenchman was hardly alone in failing to fire. Damp squibs have provided more pyrotechnics than Lennon’s men were able to produce in the Skonto Stadium, despite a flurry of late opportunities. The best of these fell to another player introduced to proceedings, Albian Ajeti. He somehow failed to bundle the ball over the line from a yard in the 73rd minute, despite looking as if he had carried it into the net between his feet. He was blocked, practically in the net, by a combination of his own twisting and the desperate actions of Riga keeper Robert Ozols and centre-back Herdi Prenga.

Celtic cannot blame their stilted display on the antiseptic atmosphere they have struggled with in this pandemic age. The arena resounded to the sound of noisy backing from home supporters. Covid-19 restrictions may have meant the stadium was empty, but a resourceful group stationed two open-top buses behind a goal from where they banged drums and bawled out chants for their team.

Throughout the tie, their cries of encouragement had to be reserved for celebrating their team’s defensive doggedness. The pattern of the encounter was set early on, with the Latvian champions camping in on the edge of their own box and placing the onus squarely on Celtic to prise them apart. For the first half hour, the Scottish champions were thwarted in this endeavour through appearing to possess all the piercing powers of a rusty, blunt can opener.

Lennon’s fervent hope would have centred on his ability to restore Edouard to the starting line-up following his curious, fatigue-inspired absence at the weekend. The manager would have looked to the 22-year-old to provide his side with the edge required to break down obdurate opponents. Alas, Edouard looked completely out-of-sorts as Celtic struggled to muster any real goalscoring opportunities against a club unbeaten in their own environs across all six of their previous European ties.

Frimpong’s very presence seemed to inject life into the endeavours of Lennon’s side. Within two minutes of the teenager bounding on to the pitch, Olivier Ntcham drew a first save from Ozols with a fizzing drive the keeper finger-tipped over. Suddenly, Celtic seemed to be energised and spaces started to appear in and around the Riga box. Twice in two minutes Lennon’s men had chances to break the deadlock, but their inability to make these count said everything about the nature of their performance.

Nir Bitton should have burst the net when the ball broke to him 12 yards out but could only scuff his shot, allowing Ozols to gobble it up. Then Callum McGregor chose the wrong option when sent in on goal by an Edouard through ball. As the keeper advanced, he elected to square to Frimpong at the back post rather than go for goal, but his pass was cut out before it reached the wing-back.

Elyounoussi’s matchwinning intervention allows Celtic to park the display and move on, but the victory in no way disguises their continued problems finding anything in the way of attacking rhythm. The one comfort will be the clean sheet - even if this was achieved against a side that eschewed enterprise in the hope of catching Celtic on the counter. Riga patently hoped to replicate Ferencvaros’s success in catching the Scottish champions out in such fashion a month ago to end their interest in the Champions League.

They failed to do so and Celtic produced a clean sheet on the road in continental competition for the first time in seven games. In the process, disaster was avoided, with failure to secure European group stage football for the first time in a decade the unthinkable.

Lennon said he felt Frimpong made a “outstanding contribution” and said he hoped Elyounoussi’s goal “kickstarts his season into great things.”

Celtic will head to Bosnia next week to take on Sarajevo in the play-off round which is once again a one-legged tie. It promises to be an altogether tougher test for the Scottish champions.

FC Riga: Ozols; Petersons, Stuglis, Prenga, Rugins; Djurisic, Wesley Nata (Brisola 71), Panic, Roger, Kamess; Debelko (Milosevic 67) (N’Kololo 90+1). Subs: Sharpar, Purins, Hora, Cernomordijs.

Celtic: Barkas; Bitton, Duffy, Ajer; Forrest (Frimpong 35), Ntcham, Brown, McGregor, Taylor; Christie; Edouard (Elyounoussi 82). Subs: Bain, Klimala, Turnbull, Elhamed.

Referee: Fabio Verissimo (Portugal)

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