CIRO IMMOBILE SENT Lazio to the verge of qualification for the last 16 of the Champions League with a late brace in Tuesday’s 2-0 win over eliminated Celtic.
Italy forward Immobile struck twice in the final 10 minutes at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome to move Lazio top of Group E, two points ahead of Atletico Madrid who are at third-placed Feyenoord later on Tuesday.
Lazio will be through to the next round if Feyenoord fail to beat their Spanish opposition as the Dutch outfit are four points behind the new group leaders.
Immobile’s double, which took his all-competitions tally for the season to seven, confirmed Celtic’s exit from Europe’s top club competition. They will finish bottom in their Champions League group for the second consecutive season.
Brendan Rodgers’ side will finish bottom of Group E following the defeat which left the Scottish champions with a single point from their five group matches.
Veteran striker Immobile broke the deadlock of a tense match in the 82nd minute when Gustav Isaksen’s shot was deflected right into his path with only befuddled goalkeeper Joe Hart to beat.
And the 33-year-old made sure of the points three minutes later, taking down Isaksen’s pass and shrugging off the Celtic defence before rolling home a neat finish.
Any hope of a Celtic comeback was finished once referee Halil Umut Meler denied their appeal for a stoppage-time penalty following a review of the pitch-side monitor.
Celtic were without Luis Palma, Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate and Liel Abada through suspension or injury, and manager Brendan Rodgers bemoaned his side’s lack of quality.
“It’s the overall quality. We need to have our very best players available”, said Rodgers.
“What makes the difference is that bit of experience and genuine quality. That’s something we can hopefully resolve over the next couple of windows. This group has gained more experience and shown they can compete in some games – but we need to add quality. That’s the glaring thing that stands out.
“Sadly for us, over the course of all the games, we’ve been hampered with our squad and availability. At this level, for us, that’s the very minimum. But I have to commend the players that have been playing. They have given everything. The game was very competitive right the way through.”
Liam Scales played all 90 minutes for Celtic, with Mikey Johnston introduced as a second-half substitute. That both shared the pitch meant it was the first time two Irish internationals appeared in the same Champions League game since John O’Shea and Darron Gibson played for Manchester United against Schalke in May, 2011.
– © AFP 2023, with reporting by Gavin Cooney and PA
