Celtic’s European adventure is guaranteed to end before Christmas after the Scots suffered a 3-0 Champions League defeat at the hands of AC Milan. A positive result for Ajax in the other game in Group H, meanwhile, robbed the Hoops of a consolation Europa League spot.
Neil Lennon's men started brightly, forcing several corners in the early stages of the game, but it was Milan who would take advantage of a similar situation in the 12th minute, with Kakaheading home unmarked after some woeful defending from the home side.
Cetic had a handful of chances to level the score, but both Charlie Mulgrew and Virgil van Dijk shot straight at Christian Abbiati with tame efforts.
The home side were made to pay for their wastefulness when Cristian Zapata tapped home following yet more terrible defending from a corner. Mario Balotelli’s third in the 59th minute effectively ended the game, with the striker beating the offside trap then putting the ball away comfortably.
To make matters worse for Neil Lennon’s side, a shock 2-1 victory for Ajax over Barcelona in Amsterdam ensures that the Scots can no longer finish third in Group H, meaning a Europa League spot is now also out of their reach. Celtic play for pride at the Camp Nou in their final European game of the season on December 11th, with Barcelona requiring a win to secure first place in the group.
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