MX23RW : Wednesday, November 27 02:46:01| >> :120:34717:34717:
[monks data]
Zenit St Petersburg
Europa League | Round of 32
Feb 22, 2018 at 6pm UK
 
Celtic logo

3-0

Ivanovic (8'), Kuzyaev (27'), Kokorin (61')
FT(HT: 2-0)

Brendan Rodgers: 'Celtic lacked courage and belief at Zenit St Petersburg'

Rodgers: 'Celtic lacked courage, belief'
© SilverHub
Brendan Rodgers believes that Celtic should have had "more courage and more belief" in their Europa League last-32 second-leg clash at Zenit St Petersburg.

Brendan Rodgers has claimed that Celtic should have had "more courage and more belief" in their Europa League last-32 second-leg game at Zenit St Petersburg.

The Hoops travelled to the Krestovsky Stadium for Thursday's meeting with the Russian Premier League giants boasting a 1-0 lead from the first leg at Parkhead.

However, Celtic put in a lacklustre performance as Branislav Ivanovic, Daler Kuzyaev and Aleksandr Kokorin turned the tie round in the hosts' favour, sealing a 3-0 win on the night and 3-1 on aggregate.

"Defensively, we lacked aggression, especially in the first half," Rodgers told BBC Sport after the game. "We didn't defend forward well enough. But, at 2-0 down, we were still in the game and we had to show bravery.

"Second half, we started okay, but we again concede the possession too cheaply. Across two games, we were much better than them in the first game. In this one, if we had showed more courage and more belief, we could have got a result.

"I think there's still an awful lot of work for us to do, but there have been a lot of positives for us in both competitions. Last week was an outstanding performance and you would think that would allow us to come into this game with confidence."

Celtic return to Scottish Premiership action on Sunday against Aberdeen at Pittodrie.

ID:319325: cacheID:319325:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2767:No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
A chilled-out Roberto Mancini has a chinwag on the old rag and bone during the Serie A game between Lazio and Sampdoria on May 7, 2017
Read Next:
Mancini: "We played better than Celtic"
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS

League Phase

TeamPWDLPTS
1Lazio440012
2Ajax431010
3Anderlecht431010
4Frankfurt431010
5Galatasaray431010
6Spurs43019
7FCSB43019
8Lyon42117
9Rangers42117
10Olympiacos42117
11Bodo/Glimt42117
12Midtjylland42117
13Ferencvaros42026
14Man Utd41306
15Plzen41306
16AZ42026
17Besiktas42026
18Hoffenheim41215
19Roma41215
20Fenerbahce41215
21Elfsborg41124
22Braga41124
23Porto41124
24Slavia Prague41124
25Real Sociedad41124
26Malmo41033
27FC Twente40313
28Qarabag41033
29Union SG40222
30Nice40222
31RFS40222
32Ludogorets40131
33PAOK40131
34Athletic Club00000
35M. Tel Aviv40040
36Dynamo Kiev40040


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!