Lennon full of pride as Celtic earn point

NEIL Lennon hailed Celtic’s comeback last night as his proudest moment in Europe as the club’s manager.

The Scottish team needed to show substantial character to fight back for a 1-1 Europa League draw against Stade Rennais after suffering a self-inflicted wound when Cha Du-Ri put through his own goal, and Lennon opted to emphasise that character rather than dwell on the first-half mishap.

In truth, Celtic’s recent record in Europe does not include too many results worth boasting about, but after some poor performances over the past few weeks it was understandable that Lennon should celebrate a spirited second-half by his team which keeps them level with Rennes in Group I on two points. Udinese are top with seven points after three games following their 2-0 win at home to Atletico Madrid, who have four.

With three matches to play and the top two to go through to the last 32, Celtic are still in the hunt, and that, too, encouraged the manager to regard this result in an optimistic light.

“Yes,” Lennon said when asked if it was his proudest European moment to date. “It gives us a position to build on. I thought it was a great game of football. I thought we were fantastic to concede a goal in the manner we did and then show the character and quality throughout the game and to create the chances the way we did. The players showed great character, particularly the two who were involved in the [own] goal.”

Cha Du-Ri was the scorer of that goal, putting through his own net after Fraser Forster came out in preparation for a pass-back. After the match Forster claimed responsibility for the loss of the goal, but Lennon had only praise for both men.

“Cha had a great second half and Forster made some wonderful saves,and that’s not easy to do after making a mistake like that,” he continued. “I’m proud of my team. I thought we at least merited a point.”

“I thought we were playing well and were having a good spell in the game [at the time of the own goal]. The goal was a breakdown in communication.

“We got them in at half-time and galvanised them, and they played some super stuff. [Anthony] Stokes I thought was tremendous. I couldn’t fault any of our players tonight for their effort and their attitude. You can’t legislate for that [own goal] no matter how well you prepare. The players didn’t deserve that.

“I thought we fully merited the result and we can look forward to the rest of the games. It’s been a great performance – we’ve come away against a top-class French side and done very well. We’re very pleased to be coming away with at least a point.”

Celtic might have lost that point in a frenetic finale which saw Forster pull off a couple of excellent saves, but in the end they had Joe Ledley to thank for the headed equaliser with 20 minutes to go from a Charlie Mulgrew free-kick.

“It was a fantastic delivery,” Lennon said. “Charlie has put it right on the money. It only needed a touch and thankfully Joe got it beautifully. We did create [other] chances, and to do that with a depleted squad is a testament to the players in that dressing-room.

“Then Fraser showed great character and quality and some of his saves were fantastic. Away from home you need your goalkeeper to make some crucial saves and he did that tonight. He was fantastic and it was a great example to the rest of the squad.

“We’re two points behind Atletico Madrid with two home games to come. We’re still in the running in a very difficult group and we’re delighted to be in that position. I know the character of the players and the character of the squad. They’re very talented.”

Lennon was so pleased with his team’s recovery that he almost omitted to mention that he thought they could have taken the lead some time before they fell behind, as he believed Ki Sung-Yeung had been brought down in the box. “I felt we should have had a penalty early on. I thought Ki had his legs taken away from him and it looked a stonewall penalty.”

Even allowing for that denied spot-kick as one of the chances that had passed Celtic by, Rennes created more openings and were more coherent as an attacking force. Had the French club’s coach Frederic Antonetti selected his strongest line-up rather than opting to experiment, they could well have had the game dead and buried long before the Ledley goal which has breathed a little life into Celtic’s hopes of extending their involvement in European competition beyond Christmas.

Forster found the Stade de la Route de Lorient a “lonely” place to be after being involved in the calamitous opening goal, and admitted he should have shouted louder.

“It was completely my fault,” he said. “It was just a bad mistake and it should never have happened.

“I just need to do better and be a bit louder. I wasn’t loud enough.

“Everyone makes mistakes but you have to put it behind you and move on. There isn’t a person on the planet who hasn’t made a mistake, especially in football.

“It can be a lonely place but you have to forget that it ever happened. You can’t change the past and that is what being a goalkeeper is all about.”