2025-11-06: FC Midtjylland 3-1 Celtic, UEFA Cup

Match Pictures | Matches: 2025 – 2026

Trivia

KO: 17:45; Thursday; TNT Sports
Celtic 27th/36, on 4pts/-3GD after 4 games (FC Midtjylland are top with 100% record). Sevco bottom on 0pts -7GD
Osmand was not to feature as he was not included in the squad by Rodgers for the Europa League this season. But he won a place and played tonight as CCV was removed due to his LT injury. Osmand came on as a substitute, won Celtic a penalty (for Celtic goal) and then came off injured with a hamstring injury!
Neil Lennon has said Brendan Rodgers‘ messaging wasn’t as “honest” as it should have been and that led to vitriol towards the cub’s board.
O’Neill believes Celtic will progress their search for a permanent manager during the upcoming international break.
Callum Osmand revealed that O’Neill’s trust in him since returning to Celtic is the major difference between life with and without Rodgers.
Rapper Snoop Dogg has told the Celtic board to give him a call as he hints at investing in the club.The celebrity Hoops fan revealed he is willing to invest some of his millions to help buy new players. He also wants to see former boss Ange Postecoglou return to Celtic after Brendan Rodgers’ shock resignation last week.
McGregor feels Celtic need to take their “medicine” following Thursday’s 3-1 Europa League defeat by Midtjylland.
Reports:
Leeds United interest in Seb Tounekti.
Former PSV Eindhoven and Royal Antwerp manager Mark van Bommel turned down an approach from Celtic as well as rejecting offers from the Middle East. (De Telegraaf)
Ex-Celt Efrain Juarez is put forward as a dark-horse contender for the job. Very very unlikely!
Ex-Celt Craig Bellamy pulls out of race for manager’s job.
January move for young Kilmarnock midfielder David Watson, acc to report from Stephen McGowan.

Summary

Joebloggscity of TheCelticWiki: Celtic come down to earth after the win v Sevco on Sunday past. MoN’s first match in Europe in this interim role and it was a flashback to the poorer performances, and if anything Celtic were fortunate not to have lost the game by far more goals. Ralston with all due respect was found very short in this game despite the effort & confidence in him. If anything, it highlighted just how much Celtic were missing Alistair Johnstone. Schmeichel was the hero without whom Celtic would have lost by far worse. Little to write home about, and only Osmand & Bernardo coming out brought Celtic up a touch by linking together to win Celtic the penalty, thankfully converted (albeit a woefully taken penalty by Hatate). Sad to see then Osman come off the field with a hamstring injuiry. Frustrating evening.

“We’re feeling good. Any chance to play in Europe we’re buzzing about, and we’re really excited to show what we have. We want to make Celtic proud and make our fans proud so we’re all looking forward to the opportunity. I live for these moments. This is what football is all about, the big games. This is the pride of Celtic, performing in Europe and showing the brand of Celtic on a global stage. That’s what it’s all about, so any opportunity we can get to perform, we do that.”
Trusty

Social Media:

E-Tims @ETimsNet · FT 3-1 them. Battered first half. Took all their best players off. We get late consolation goal. On a positive note, we won the second half! It’s ok, I’ve already told myself tae get tae fuck!

Hullbhoy of Bluesky: We were absolutely outclassed tonight by a team that is modern and not run by folk from 25 years ago. We are. The Martin O’Neill Elastoplast over the problems we face needs to be sorted.We need a new Board who run a football club properly in 2025.

Teams

Celtic

Manager: Martin O’Neill

Formation: 4 – 2 – 3 – 1

01 K. Schmeichel

63 K. Tierney

05 L. Scales 13′, Yellow Card at 13mins

06 A. Trusty

56 A. Ralston

42 C. McGregor (c), Captain

27 A. Engels, subbed for Paulo Bernardo at 74mins

23 S. Tounekti, subbed for M. Balikwisha at 75mins

08 B. Nygren, subbed for R. Hatate at 69mins

49 J. Forrest, subbed for D. Maeda at 46mins

24 J. Kenny, subbed for C. Osmand at 46mins

Subs:
10 M. Balikwisha

51 C. Donovan

31 R. Doohan

28 Paulo Bernardo 89′, Yellow Card at 89mins

41 R. Hatate

38 D. Maeda 90’+5, Yellow Card at 90mins plus 5

14 L. McCowan

47 D. Murray

19 C. Osmand

36 M. Saracchi

12 V. Sinisalo

13 Yang Hyun-Jun

Goals:
R. Hatate (81′ pen)

Assists:

FC Midtjylland

Manager: Mike Tullberg

Formation: 4 – 2 – 3 – 1

16 E. Ólafsson

22 M. Bech (c), Captain

06 M. Erlić, subbed for O. Diao at 85mins

03 Lee Han-Beom

43 K. Mbabu

08 P. Billing, subbed for V. Byskov at 71mins

19 P. Bravo

41 M. Krüger-Johnsen, subbed for A. Şimşir at 59mins

10 Cho Gue-Sung

11 D. Osorio, subbed for D. Castillo at 59mins

07 Franculino Djú, subbed for Júnior Brumado at 59mins

Subs:
55 V. Bak Jensen

80 Dani Silva

01 J. Lössl

20 V. Byskov

21 D. Castillo

04 O. Diao

90 F. Etim

60 M. Ugboh

33 Alamara Djabi

29 Paulinho

74 Júnior Brumado

58 A. Şimşir

Goals:
M. Erlić (33′)

M. Krüger-Johnsen (35′)

Franculino Djú (41′)

Assists:
Midtjylland,M. Krüger-Johnsen (33′), P. Billing (35′)

Referee Nenad Minakovic

Video Assistant Referee Ivan Bebek

Assistant Referee 1 Nikola Borovic

Assistant Referee 2 Bosko Bozovic

Fourth Official Milan Mitic

Assistant VAR Official Aleksandar Zivkovic

Venue:MCH Arena

Attendance:10,387

Articles

Match Report (see below)

Pictures

Match Pictures

Match Links

Stats

Basic Stats

Overall possession

Midtjylland 60.4% Celtic 39.6%

Shots

Midtjylland 24 Celtic 5

Shots on target

Midtjylland 12 Celtic 3

Total touches inside the opposition box

Midtjylland 52 Celtic 13

Goalkeeper saves

Midtjylland 2 Celtic 9

Aerial duels won

Midtjylland 18 Celtic 14

Fouls committed

Midtjylland 13 Celtic 14

Corners

Midtjylland 4 Celtic 4

In-depth match stats

Attack

Shots

Midtjylland 24 Celtic 5

Shots on target

Midtjylland 12 Celtic 3

Shots off target

Midtjylland 7 Celtic 2

Attempts out of box

Midtjylland 6 Celtic 2

Total offsides

Midtjylland 1 Celtic 0

Distribution

Total passes

Midtjylland 430 Celtic 294

Pass accuracy %

Midtjylland 82.6 Celtic 69.4

Backward passes

Midtjylland 67 Celtic 56

Forward passes

Midtjylland 145 Celtic 117

Forward passesTotal long balls

Midtjylland 51 Celtic 54

Successful final third passes

Midtjylland 91 Celtic 29

Total crosses

Midtjylland 28 Celtic 7

Defence

Total tackles

Midtjylland 17 Celtic 20

Total tackles

Won tackle %

Midtjylland 58.8 Celtic 60

Fouls committed

Midtjylland 13 Celtic 14

Total yellow cards

Midtjylland 0 Celtic 3

Total clearances

Midtjylland 13 Celtic 51

Pre Match Facts

Match Facts

FC Midtjylland and Celtic have faced once before, with the Danish side winning a UEFA Champions League qualifying tie 3-2 over two legs in 2021-22 (1-1 away, 2-1 home).

Celtic have faced Danish opposition 14 times prior in major European competition (W7 D3 L4), though are winless across their last five matches (D2 L3) since a 1-0 victory over Copenhagen in September 2006.

FC Midtjylland have never faced Scottish opposition in major European action before, though they have already beaten British opponents during this UEFA Europa League, winning 3-2 away to Nottingham Forest at the start of October.

Celtic have failed to win any of their last 14 away major European matches (D5 L9), conceding 37 goals in total since a 3-2 win at Ferencváros in November 2021.

Celtic winger Sebastian Tounekti has made the most ball carries ending in the attacking third of the pitch (47) and most that have ended in the opposition penalty area (25) in the UEFA Europa League this season.

Articles

Defeat in Denmark as Celts lose to FC Midtjylland

First Team

By Paul Cuddihy, Celtic View Editor

06 Nov 2025, 7:44 pm

UEFA Europa League

Matchday Four

MCH Arena, Herning, Denmark

Thursday, November 6, 2025

FC MIDTJYLLAND…3

(Erlic 33, Krüger-Johnsen 35, Franculino 41)

CELTIC…1

(Hatate 78pen)

Celtic suffered a defeat in Denmark as they lost 3-1 to FC Midtjylland on matchday four of the UEFA Europa League.

The Hoops actually came out of the traps from the first whistle and immediately went on the attack, with Sebastian Tounekti setting up Arne Engels.

But his shot from the edge of the area was saved by the FC Midtjylland keeper.

However, the home side quickly settled into the game and created a number of chances inside the opening 10 minutes as they showed why they’re top of the tournament’s league table.

With 15 minutes gone, Kasper Schmeichel produced a great save to deny Franculino while, two minutes later, Benjamin Nygren had a left-foot shot that went just wide of the target.

The Celtic keeper produced another couple of good saves but he was finally beaten in the 33 minute when Martin Erlic headed home.

And just two minutes later it was 2-0 to the home side when Mikel Kruger-Johnsen cut inside from the left and into the box before curling a shot beyond Schmeichel.

And with four minutes of the first-half remaining, Franculino fired home to make it 3-0 with a shot from inside the area, while Kasper Schmeichel had to produce another save to prevent a fourth goal.

61%

Possession

40%

Shots

Shots On Target

Corners

Fouls

Cards

The second-half began with FC Midtjylland looking to further extend their lead, and they continued to create chances.

On 56 minutes, Celtic carved out a chance when Anthony Ralston latched on to a clearance from a corner but his low shot went narrowly wide.

Just after the hour mark, FC Midtjylland had two further chances through Castillo and Brumado, with the first effort going just wide and the second chance being saved by Schmeichel. And on 67 minutes, Erlic headed wide from a cross into the box.

With 17 minutes remaining, Vyskov fired in an effort which Schmeichel saved, while just four minutes later, Callum Osmand, on as a substitute for Johnny Kenny, saw his effort saved by the FC Midtjylland keeper.

But just moments later, the young Celtic striker was brought down inside the box and the referee pointed to the spot, with Reo Hatate stepping up to convert the penalty and reduce the deficit to 3-1.

But Osmand suffered an injury blow with four minutes and had to be stretchered off after he pulled up and holding his hamstring.

It also meant that the Hoops had to play the six minutes of added time with 10 men, having already used their five substitutes.

And with the numerical advantage, the home side pushed forward in searching a fourth goal but Schmeichel denied Cho with another good save, though the Danish side maintained their 100 per cent record in this season’s Europa League with the 3-1 win.

Midtjylland: Ólafsson, Mbabu, Lee Han-Beom, Erlic (Diao 85′), Bech, Bravo, Billing (Byskov 71′), Osorio (Castillo 59′), Cho Gue-Sung, Krüger-Johnsen (Simsir 59′), Franculino Djú (Júnior Brumado 59′)

Subs: Lössl, Diao, Byskov, Castillo, Paulinho, Alamara Djabi, Bak Jensen, Simsir, Ugboh, Júnior Brumado, Dani Silva, Etim

BBC

At a glance

Europa League phase leaders Midtjylland blow Celtic away with three goals in eight minutes by Erlic, Kruger-Johnsen and Dju

Hatate nets late penalty after Osmand earns spot-kick before being later taken off on stretcher

O’Neill’s first European game with Celtic in nearly 21 years ends in defeat

ByAmy Canavan

BBC Sport Scotland

Celtic’s momentum under interim boss Martin O’Neill came to a shuddering halt as Europa League leaders Midtjylland taught them a lesson in eight dreadful first-half minutes in Denmark.

The 73-year-old, who had overseen two wins since replacing Brendan Rodgers at the Scottish champions, was under no illusions of the scale of the challenge facing his rejuvenated side, with the Danes already having defeated Nottingham Forrest.

No matter how prepared he thought he was, O’Neill – along with many others – must have been blown away by the ferocious first half from the hosts.

By the time Martin Erlic nodded in the opener, Midtjylland could have been out of sight, such was their dominance.

Celtic job ‘not on my radar’ – Wales boss Bellamy

Published

1 day ago

From zero to hero – but can Osmand kick on at Celtic?

Published

3 days ago

Their deserved advantage was doubled within two minutes as Mikel Kruger-Johnsen escaped the attentions of the Celtic defence and sumptuously lifted a stunning finish into the far corner of the net.

Shocked, spooked and then static, Celtic stood like statues as the fantastic Franculino Dju fired in a third before the break.

The second-half assignment was one of damage limitation, and though the scoreline suggested that mission was accomplished, it was a mystery how Midtjylland didn’t score more goals.

Instead, out of nowhere, Celtic clawed one back as Callum Osmand – who later left the pitch on a stretcher – was felled by Erlic with 10 minutes remaining.

Reo Hatate’s smart penalty sparked something within the visiting ranks, but as has been the issue, long before O’Neill’s return, it was too little, too late.

Analysis: Suffocated Celtic struggle with Midtjylland might

Celtic graphic

An outclassed Celtic did well to escape with just the three goals against, such was the utter dominance of the Danes.

Twenty-four shots, 12 on target. Fifteen with nine accurate in a frightening first half. Such numbers do not usually happen against Celtic.

In this instance, the margin of defeat could have been by so many more. Of all the concerns O’Neill, his staff and his players will carry home, this will perhaps weigh the heaviest.

It cannot be overstated how good Midtjylland were.

It will take quite something for them to be shifted from the top spot in Europe’s second-tier competition, but Celtic, who had their sights set on the Champions League just a matter of months ago, shouldn’t have been so easily obliterated.

O’Neill has brushed away suggestions of taking this job on a permanent basis during his two wins up until now.

Here, he was provided with a painful picture of how seismic the task at hand actually is. And it was one which might make his mind up for him.

Match stats

Midtjylland scored three goals in the first half of a major European game for the first time

Midtjylland remain unbeaten against Celtic in Europe (W2 D1). Celtic have failed to win any of their last eight games against Danish clubs (including qualifiers – D3 L5).

Celtic faced 15 shots in the first half of this match, the most they’ve conceded in the opening 45 minutes of a European game since November 2012 (17 v Benfica in the Champions League).

What’s next?

Celtic host Kilmarnock in their final Scottish Premiership game before international break on Sunday (16:00 GMT), while their next Europa League fixture is away to Feyenoord on Thursday, 27 November (17:45).

Celtic fed to the wolves and leave Denmark with further wounds

Mark Atkinson

By Mark Atkinson

Sports Editor

https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/celtic/latest-celtic-news/celtic-fed-to-the-wolves-and-leave-denmark-with-further-wounds-amid-crippling-injury-list-5392140

Comments

Published 6th Nov 2025, 20:39 GMT

Keep Watching

Gregor Townsend explains big Duhan van der Merwe call for Scotland v New ZealandGregor Townsend explains big Duhan van der Merwe call for Scotland v New Zealand

Midtjylland make mockery of Scottish champions in grim Europa League night

Celtic were given a brusque reminder of how far they have slipped down the European pecking order with this 3-1 defeat by FC Midtjylland.

Honking in Herning. There can be no other way to describe this Europa League performance in Denmark. Celtic didn’t bring home the bacon; instead they were processed into it.

The wolves of Midtjylland feasted upon the Scottish champions. They created 15 chances in a landslide first half and netted three of them, each of them greeted with a howl over the tannoy at the MCH Arena. Suitably sated, the hosts relented after half time against wounded prey and even gifted a Celtic consolation. This was a good night’s work for Mike Tullberg’s men, who remain top of the table at the midway point of the league phase.

Celtic suffered another injury when young striker Callum Osmand went down clutching his hamstring.

Celtic suffered another injury when young striker Callum Osmand went down clutching his hamstring. | Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Ima

The outlook is bleaker for Celtic. Nine months ago they were competing with the might of Bayern Munich in the knock-out stages of the Champions League. They were unrecognisable from those matches against the German giants: flimsy in defence, brittle in midfield and non-existent in attack.

Interim manager Martin O’Neill and his assistant Shaun Maloney watched on powerless. After wins over Falkirk and Rangers, a step forward had been taken. This felt like two back for the caretakers and one wonders whether this will accelerate the Celtic board’s search for a permanent head coach.

Celtic can’t splutter on like this for too much longer. With four points after four matches and ties against Roma, Feyenoord, Bologna and Utrecht to come, finishing in the top 24 is not guaranteed. There is not enough evidence that in this current shape, they can overhaul runaway Premiership leaders Hearts either.

Clarity in the dugout is only half the battle. The squad needs to be nourished in almost every area of the pitch. It is worth noting the only mitigating factor, the absence of three key injured players in defenders Alistair Johnston and Cameron Carter-Vickers, plus forward Jota.

Celtic’s nightmare seven-minute spell

Celtic could not cope with the energy, dynamism and creativity of Midtjylland. The Danes have improved a lot since being taken to extra time by Hibs in the qualifiers earlier this season.

Midtylland wrestled control of this game early on. Wave after wave of attack. Celtic clung on to parity until the 34th minute, when Croatian defender Martin Erlic headed in from close range after the impressive Mikel Gorgoza stood up a fine cross. A minute later, the 19-year-old Dane tormented Anthony Ralston once more, cutting in on his right and curling past Kasper Schmeichel.

When another sought-after Midtjylland forward in Franculino swept home his 50th goal for the club on 41 minutes after more lamentable defending, an embarrassment felt like it was on the cards.

Celtic brought on Daizen Maeda and Callum Osmand at the break in an attempt to find a way back in. The hosts took their foot off the pedal. Franculino, Gorgoza and another tormentor in Dario Osorio were taken off before the hour mark. Tougher challenges await them.

Celtic player ratings in desperate Midtjylland defeat: numerous 4s, tormented defender and serious injury

Celtic’s surprise slither of hope came when Osmand was fouled by Erlic in the box. It was a clear penalty. Substitute Reo Hatate squeezed the ball under Elias Olafsson.

The night ended on a sour note when Osmand went down in tears clutching his hamstring. Another injury for Celtic to contend with. These remain testing times.

…