2025-11-27: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic, UEFA Cup

Match Pictures | Matches: 2025 – 2026

Trivia

KO: 17:45 UK time; Thursday; Uefa cup group stage match
Martin O’Neill continues as interim manager.
Feyenoord lost their last match last weekend 4-2.
Celtic on 7pts but -1GD, with 11pts the general target to make the cutoff.
Martin O’Neill confirmed pre-match that this would be his last European competition match.
Celtic go into this match with long list of injuries and players out.
Iheanacho back on the bench after long out injured,
Feyenoord head coach Robin van Persie is battling to save his job as the Dutch side prepare to face Celtic in the Europa League, says Pierre van Hooijdonk, who turned out for both clubs.
Celtic would be taking an “incredible risk” on Wilfried Nancy if they make the Columbus Crew their next manager, says Colin Miller, former Canada and Vancouver Whitecaps head coach.
Interim manager Martin O’Neill advises expected successor Wilfried Nancy to stay out of the civil war at Celtic.
Ex-Celt Darren O’Dea has left Swansea City just months after his departure from Celtic. He was interim manager after the manager was sacked and he has been also now moved on.
Kyle Ure has returned to Celtic from loan side Ayr United after the 19-year-old picked up a bad injury, manager Scott Brown has confirmed.
The published results from Celtic’s annual meeting last week, which ended early amid shareholder unrest, show motions to reappoint the club’s board members passed overwhelmingly. Resolutions calling for a five-year review and a vote of no confidence in the board were not carried.
Ex-Celt Liel Abada could be on his way out of MLS side Charlotte FC after his £10m transfer has failed to take off. And after a difficult season and a failed move to French football due to Police concerns for his safety, Abada’s footballing future is uncertain.
Reports:
Leeds United could join the race for Daizen Maeda if Celtic sanction a January sale, with Everton, West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers also linked.
Columbus Crew head coach Wilfried Nancy is set for a 1 December start as the new manager of Celtic, although it could be sooner depending on the completion of contracts for four members of his backroom staff who are expected to join him in Glasgow over the next seven days. (PLZ Soccer)
Wilfried Nancy will target the January signing of 26-year-old Palestine striker Wessam Abou Ali from Columbus Crew should the Frenchman move to Celtic as manager from the Major League Soccer club in the coming days.
Should Columbus Crew head coach Wilfried Nancy be confirmed as Celtic manager, he will bring with him fellow Frenchman Yoann Dammet and Irishman Kwame Ampadu, who coached Exeter City Under-18s when Celtic’s head of football operations Paul Tisdale was manager.
Marseille want to hold talks with Brighton & Hove Albion about signing on-loan former Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley permanently in January.
Vasteras SK want ex Celt Celtic defender Mikael Lustig as their new sporting director.
Celtic are optimistic they can fend off increased competition to sign Shamrock Rovers striker Michael Noonan despite reported interest in the 17-year-old from Man City and Man Utd.
Stephen Welsh could force Celtic into a January decision about his loan to Motherwell because his form has the 25-year-old knocking on the door to the Scotland squad

Summary

“Jock Stein said it, European football is where Celtic should be. But at this minute it’s a struggle for us.”
MoN (pre-match)

“I thought the team were really fantastic.” He said. “Essentially from their first attack they scored, but after that we controlled the game. “We were magnificent, we basically passed them off the pitch. The whole team were brilliant. “To come here and win away from home, in Holland against Feyenoord, it’s just fantastic. We were terrific.”

MoN

“I think it was, from our point of view, flat first half, we didn’t concede a lot of chances against us. So there was what that was. Okay. “Scored a really good first goal. Great pass from Valenta, really good touch from Sam and Ayasa finished it inside the post. So that was good, that part. “But we didn’t get enough pressure on Celtic, in my opinion, that triggers we wanted to take was quite difficult.“Then the 1-1 from Celtic point of view, was a good goal, was a good run in behind, but everyone knows what to do there. “And the way we defended that together with left full-back, centre back and midfielder wasn’t great, and I know it goes really fast, but we should have done better there to avoid that. “The second goal we just gave away, I think it starts with Steijn, who’s dropping a little bit too low, our left centre back ends up with the goalkeeper, takes too much time, and it’s particularly just a present as simple as that. “Then you slowly, from our point of view, without playing amazing, growing into the game, creating a couple of chances, bit unlucky with the header which hit the crossbar. “And so we’re staying in the game until the end, and then we, in my opinion, gave away the third goal from a throw in. “That’s too easy. After the throw in, Celtic only needed two passes to score. That’s, from our point of view, not good enough.”

Feyenoord manager Van Persie told TNT Sports via CBS Sports Golazo

James McFadden Former Scotland forward on BBC Sportsound Celtic looked so comfortable at times it was like a training session. The reaction to going a goal behind given they don’t win many games away from home in Europe was excellent. Overall that was as good a Celtic performance away from home in Europe that I’ve seen. The players will be shattered, but what a performance from them.

Quiet Assassin of KDS: Great result. Didn’t see it coming but it seems they’re in an even worse place than us. Full credit to the team for not only winning but coming back from an early goal against us. We’ve left a lot of points on the table in other games. Annoyingly as when the draw was made this was one I think everyone probably thought of as a defeat, but Braga at home and away in Denmark would be points on the board.

Joebloggscity of TheCelticWiki: ‪@joebloggscity.bsky.social ‬That was something special from a side most of us thought were underpar for what was needed tonight. MoN is special. I genuinely don’t believe we’d have won that fixture if Rodgers with his tactics was still manager. Can’t lie, Celtic had a fast start but once Feyenoord scored a fine goal on the after just ten minutes it felt like it was going to be one of those nights. But Celtic rallied and overall were the superior team equalising with a fine goal, and then gifted an opportunity to steal the lead following Maeda putting the goalie under pressure to make a mistake. Nygren scored a fine third to seal the points, and Feyenoord were never really in the game since Celtic took the league. Martin takes players and makes them a team who fight for each other to be more than the sum of it’s parts. Great to see Hatate, Yang and Maeda put in a good performance, and Engels was great too.

For the older supporters & likely MoN it rekindled memories of MoN’s key 3-1 in the Netherlands v Ajax. This is a long way from that, but it was great to have a good victory away in Europe with a fine performance. Very proud tonight all.

Inside The SPFL @AgentScotland · 1h FT: Feynoord 1-3 Celtic Unbelievable performance from the Scottish Champions, hard to single out individuals as most of the players were fantastic, but Hatate & Maeda had their best performance of the season, the four defenders were immense and Yang had one of his best games. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Celtic control a 2nd half so comfortably against a good side when they’ve been in the lead at halftime, Feynoord came into it again just before Nygren killed it, but for long spells Celtic were in total control of that game. Top performance.

Teams

Celtic

Manager: Martin O’Neill

Formation: 4 – 2 – 3 – 1

01 K. Schmeichel

63 K. Tierney, subbed for D. Murray at 70mins

05 L. Scales

06 A. Trusty

51 C. Donovan, subbed for A. Ralston at 84mins

42 C. McGregor (c), Captain86′, Yellow Card at 86mins

27 A. Engels 78′, Yellow Card at 78mins

13 Yang Hyun-Jun, subbed for S. Tounekti at 71mins

41 R. Hatate 39′, Yellow Card at 39mins, subbed for Paulo Bernardo at 83mins

14 L. McCowan, subbed for B. Nygren at 63mins

38 D. Maeda

Subs:
10 M. Balikwisha

31 R. Doohan

28 Paulo Bernardo

59 F. Hale

61 S. Isiguzo

24 J. Kenny

47 D. Murray

08 B. Nygren

56 A. Ralston

12 V. Sinisalo

23 S. Tounekti

17 K. Ịheanachọ

Goals:
Yang Hyun-Jun (31′)

R. Hatate (43′)

B. Nygren (82′)

Assists:
R. Hatate (31′), D. Maeda (43′, 82′)

Feyenoord
Manager: Robin van Persie

Formation: 4 – 3 – 3

22 T. Wellenreuther

05 G. Smal, subbed for B. Nieuwkoop at 62mins

04 T. Watanabe

21 A. Ahmedhodžić

30 J. Lotomba, subbed for S. van Persie at 81mins

40 L. Valente, subbed for Q. Timber at 76mins

28 O. Targhalline 56′, Yellow Card at 56mins

14 S. Steijn (c), Captain

16 L. Sauer, subbed for G. Diarra at 62mins

09 A. Ueda

23 A. Hadj Moussa

Subs:
11 Gonçalo Borges

01 J. Bijlow

39 L. Bossin

27 G. Diarra

47 T. Kraaijeveld

02 B. Nieuwkoop

46 A. Ouarghi

43 J. Plug

32 A. Sliti

17 C. Tengstedt

08 Q. Timber

49 S. van Persie

Goals: A. Ueda (11′)

Assists: Steijn (11′)
Referee Sebastian Gishamer

Video Assistant Referee Marco Di Bello

Assistant Referee 1 Roland Riedel

Assistant Referee 2 Santino Schreiner

Fourth Official Alexander Harkam

Assistant VAR Official Daniele Chiffi

Att:

Articles

Match Report (see below)

Pictures

Match Pictures

Match Links

Stats

Overall possession

Feyenoord 48.9% Celtic 51.1%

Shots

Feyenoord 14 Celtic 6

Shots on target

Feyenoord 4 Celtic 4

Total touches inside the opposition box

Feyenoord 23 Celtic 15

Goalkeeper saves

Feyenoord 1 Celtic 3

Aerial duels won

Feyenoord 18 Celtic 11

Fouls committed

Feyenoord 11 Celtic 9

Corners

Feyenoord 6 Celtic 2

In-depth match stats

Attack

Shots

Feyenoord 14 Celtic 6

Shots on target

Feyenoord 4 Celtic 4

Shots off target

Feyenoord 5 Celtic 2

Attempts out of box

Feyenoord 3 Celtic 3

Hit woodwork

Feyenoord 1 Celtic 0

One-on-one attempts

Feyenoord 1 Celtic 0

Total offsides

Feyenoord 1 Celtic 2

Distribution

Total passes

Feyenoord 464 Celtic 485

Pass accuracy %

Feyenoord 87.1 Celtic 87.2

Backward passes

Feyenoord 78 Celtic 77

Forward passes

Feyenoord 131 Celtic 134

Total long balls

Feyenoord 39 Celtic 60

Successful final third passes

Feyenoord 66 Celtic 77

Total crosses

Feyenoord 18 Celtic 16

Defence

Total tackles

Feyenoord 17 Celtic 12

Won tackle %

Feyenoord 82.4 Celtic 75

Fouls committed

Feyenoord 11 Celtic 9

Total yellow cards

Feyenoord 1 Celtic 3

Total clearances

Feyenoord 19 Celtic 26

Pre Match Facts

This is the third European campaign to see Feyenoord and Celtic face – the Dutch side won 2-1 in the 1970 European Cup final in Milan, while both sides enjoyed home wins in the 2023-24 UEFA Champions League group stage (2-0 Feyenoord, 2-1 Celtic).

In all European competitions, Celtic are winless in their last five visits to the Netherlands (D1 L4) since a 3-1 win at Ajax in August 2001 in a UEFA Champions League qualifier.

Feyenoord have failed to score in three of their four UEFA Europa League matches this season. Only in 1991-92 (Cup Winners’ Cup), 2008-09 (UEFA Cup) and 2020-21 (UEFA Europa League) have they had four goalless games in a single major European campaign.

Celtic have kept just one clean sheet in their last 22 UEFA Europa League matches – they have conceded at least twice in 15 of their last 19 games in the competition.

Celtic have netted just one goal from open play in the UEFA Europa League this season, with their last three goals coming via set pieces (2x corners, 1x penalty). Only Crvena Zvezda and FC Utrecht have scored fewer (0).

Articles

Martin O’Neill: The players were terrific in win over Feyenoord

https://www.celticfc.com/news/2025/november/27/martin-o-neill–the-players-/

First Team

By Matthew Campbell

27 Nov 2025, 8:48 pm

For many Celtic supporters, the sight of Martin O’Neill in the Celtic dugout recently has felt like a real throwback, and tonight was another moment where the Irishman rolled back the years, leading Celtic to a massive away result in Europe.

Celtic had to battle back from a goal behind, but come the full-time whistle, the scoreboard told its own story, with the Hoops leaving De Kuip with a 3-1 win over Feyenoord in the Europa League.

Speaking to Celtic TV’s Daylin Docherty after the match in Rotterdam, the interim Celtic manager was full of praise for the players who secured a massive three points this evening.

“I thought the team were really fantastic.” He said. “Essentially from their first attack they scored, but after that we controlled the game.

“We were magnificent, we basically passed them off the pitch. The whole team were brilliant.

“To come here and win away from home, in Holland against Feyenoord, it’s just fantastic. We were terrific.”

The victory moves Celtic up the Europa League table and keeps the Hoops well in contention for progression to the next phase of the competition.

As well as the lease of life tonight’s result has given Celtic’s UEL campaign, Martin O’Neill says that it’s given him a personal lift, as he looks ahead to Sunday’s match at Easter Road.

He added: “We’ve got 7 points and we need more points on the board.

“There’s another three matches, two are at home and I’m leaving it now for the man in charge to take it on from here.

‘But it was a lovely night, I must admit, a really nice night. It brought me back.’

“These players, they refresh you, they keep you young, even the backroom staff keep you young.

“It was a wonderful night, we’ll celebrate it for a couple of hours and then we’ve got a big game on Sunday.”

BBC

At a glance

Ueda gives Feyenoord early lead with calm low finish

Scottish champions hit back through Yang and Hatate to lead at half-time

Celtic ride luck at times in second half but seal second Europa League victory thanks to Nygren’s emphatic strike

ByGeorge O’Neill

BBC Sport Scotland

Resurgent Celtic came from behind to claim a thoroughly deserved landmark victory over Feyenoord in the Europa League at a stunned De Kuip.

Ayase Ueda gave the Dutch outfit an early lead with a calm low finish, but goals from Yang Hyun-jun and Reo Hatate turned the game on its head before half-time and Benjamin Nygren thumped home a third in the closing stages to calm any nerves in the jubilant away end.

It was a welcome return to winning ways on the continent for the Scottish champions, who were comprehensively outplayed by Midtjylland in their previous Europa League outing.

Martin O’Neill’s side had to ride their luck at times in Rotterdam, but stood firm defensively and showed a clinical edge on their way to a vital three points as O’Neill’s interim return appears to be nearing an end.

Feyenoord have now lost four of their five matches in the competition, while Celtic climb into a play-off position after their second win.

Celtic close to appointing Nancy as new manager

Published

3 days ago

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Celtic make chances count on historic European night

Celtic were below par in their narrow Scottish Premiership win at St Mirren last weekend and when they were undone early on, there were fears it could be another difficult night in Europe.

One long pass took out the visitors’ defence and home captain Sem Steijn teed up Japan striker Ueda, who beat Kasper Schmeichel for his 14th goal of the season.

However, Celtic were unfazed by the early setback and roared back in fine style.

Yang arrived late in the Feyenoord box to flash a first-time finish past home goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther for the equaliser and Wellenreuther gifted Celtic a second 12 minutes later.

Under pressure from Daizen Maeda, his attempted clearance went straight to Hatate, who rolled home into an empty net.

Feyenoord were rocked by the turnaround and Celtic carried their momentum into the second half, content to keep possession as the hosts sat off them.

Eventually, Robin van Persie’s side did snap out of their funk and pushed for an equaliser, but Tsuyoshi Watanabe’s effort was cleared off the line by Callum McGregor, Gaoussou Diarra had an effort blocked and a header bounce clear off the bar, while Anis Hadj Moussa fired wide on his left foot.

Having absorbed that pressure, Celtic made Feyenoord pay for their wasted chances, as Nygren smashed a left-footed shot in off the bar past a stranded Wellenreuther.

It is Celtic’s first away win in Europe since November 2021 at Ferencvaros – 15 games ago – and their first success in the Netherlands since 2001 when O’Neill was first in charge, when they knocked Ajax out of Champions League qualifying.

Before kick-off, O’Neill said he expected the match in Feyenoord to be his last in interim charge. If that turns out to be the case, it is a fine way to bow out for the 73-year-old.

What’s next?

Celtic travel to Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday (12:00), while they are next in Europa League action against Roma on 11 December.

Match stats

Feyenoord suffered their first home defeat against Scottish opposition in major European competition (W5 D1), while overall, they’ve now lost each of their last two against Scottish sides, as many as across their prior 11 combined (W7 D2).

Across major European competition, the result was Celtic’s first away win by a 2+ goal margin since a 3-0 Champions League victory over Anderlecht in September 2017, this serving as their 32nd match since that success.

Celtic claimed their 10th win against sides from the Netherlands across European competition this evening, only winning more matches against teams from Portugal and Switzerland (both 12).

Yang Hyun-Jun became just the second South Korean to score for Celtic in major European competition, after Ki Sung-Yueng struck against Udinese in the Europa League in September 2011.

Callum McGregor made his 69th appearance in European competition for Celtic during this match, the joint-most in the club’s history alongside Billy McNeill.

Celtic take all three points on the road with victory over Feyenoord

https://www.celticfc.com/news

First Team

By Daylin Docherty in Rotterdam

27 Nov 2025, 7:43 pm

UEFA Europa League

Thursday, November 27 2025

De Kuip, Rotterdam

FEYENOORD…1

(Ueda 11)

CELTIC…3

(Yang 30, Hatate 42 & Nygren 82)

Celtic won in the Netherlands for the first time in over 24 years with a fantastic performance at De Kuip to breathe new life into their Europa League campaign.

The last victory on Dutch soil came in August 2001, when Martin O’Neill’s Celtic beat Ajax 3-1 at the Amsterdam ArenA. Fittingly, it was O’Neill who ended that long run tonight, guiding the Hoops to a much-needed three points and securing a first European away win since the triumph over Ferencvaros in Hungary in 2021 having had to come from behind early in the game.

It was a noisy but expected atmosphere inside De Kuip, with the wind and rain swirling around the old historic ground in Rotterdam.

Celtic started positively, with a through ball from Colby Donovan picked up by Luke McCowan, who looked to thread in Daizen Maeda. The Japanese striker could not quite sort out his footing before McCowan arrived to follow up, but the home side managed to clear through Anel Ahmedhodzic.

After seven minutes, Celtic earned a corner through Arne Engels. It was a fine delivery from the Belgian, flicked on at the near post by Maeda to the back post where McCowan was waiting. From close range he could only divert his effort onto the bar, but the flag was already raised with McCowan having strayed offside.

The home side took the lead just after ten minutes through Ayase Ueda, the Japanese striker in excellent form this season. A simple ball over the top of the Celtic defence found the on-running captain, Sam Steijn, who took it in his stride and slid a pass across the box for Ueda to finish past Kasper Schmeichel. What had been a positive start suddenly turned into a disappointing one.

Celtic looked to respond quickly, working the ball out to Yang as he went searching for confidence in his one-v-one duels. The Korean winger did well, skipping past his marker and flashing the ball across goal. McCowan tried to get on the end of it but could not quite control it, allowing the chance to slip away.

Moments later, Reo Hatate pinged a long pass towards Yang that forced the home defence onto the back foot. Yang waited for support and the move eventually found Engels, who attempted a clever reverse pass into Maeda’s path, but Timon Wellenreuther was out quickly to gather before the striker could connect.

The Hoops levelled after half an hour, a deserved goal given the flow of the first half. It came from a lovely move, with Hatate chipping a superb ball down the touchline for Donovan to race onto before drilling it across goal. Yang timed his run perfectly at the back post and bundled the ball home, sparking celebrations on the Celtic bench and in the travelling support.

Celtic needed Kasper Schmeichel moments later, however. Maeda was caught in possession in midfield and Feyenoord broke quickly. Ueda, searching for his second of the night, fired off a low effort but Schmeichel produced a brilliant save in trademark style to keep the score level.

The Celts then completed the turnaround before the break, once again thanks to the relentless pressing of Maeda. The forward closed down Wellenreuther, who looked uncomfortable, and managed to scuff his clearance, sending it into the path of Hatate on the edge of the box. The midfielder kept his composure and stroked the ball into the net to give Celtic the lead at half-time.

49%

Possession

51%

Shots

Shots On Target

Corners

Fouls

Cards

After the break, Celtic dominated possession, playing with a style and flair that had been missing for much of the season so far, with the home crowd inside De Kuip beginning to turn on their players.

Just after the hour mark, Celtic looked to really twist the screw and make their dominance count. Yang, who was once again running directly at the Feyenoord defence, flashed the ball across the box towards Engels, but his effort was diverted behind for a corner.

However, despite Celtic’s control, the Dutch side almost carved out an equaliser. Good play down Celtic’s left-hand side saw Sam Steijn break into the box, looking to beat Kasper Schmeichel to the ball. The Danish goalkeeper got a crucial touch before Liam Scales swept the danger away.

Feyenoord followed that with a corner a few minutes later, and Tsuyoshi Watanabe rose well at the back post. His header was cleared off the line by Callum McGregor and turned behind for another corner, briefly lifting the atmosphere inside the stadium.

The former Dutch champions then began to mount a mini-siege on the Celtic goal. Gaoussou Diarra’s header clipped the crossbar as the Hoops dug deep to weather a spell of pressure in Rotterdam. The home fans then appealed loudly for a handball against Auston Trusty, but it would have been an incredibly harsh decision and the referee waved play on.

At the other end, Sebastian Tounekti burst forward into the box. The Tunisian international cut onto his right foot but could not get his shot away, ending what had looked like a promising break for Martin O’Neill’s side.

There were loud cheers in De Kuip as manager Robin van Persie turned to his bench and handed a professional debut to his son, Shaqueel van Persie.

With ten minutes remaining, the Celts struck their third. Colby Donovan, exhausted but excellent throughout, produced a brilliant piece of play down the right before crossing from the by-line. The ball broke to Benjamin Nygren, who rattled his finish in off the crossbar to give Celtic a commanding lead and send some home supporters towards the exits.

Celtic saw the game out superbly to hand Martin O’Neill his first away win in European football proper as Celtic manager since Henrik Larsson’s goal against Boavista sealed a place in the UEFA Cup Final back in 2003. And in true Beautiful South style; Celtic had completed the collection having won in Rotterdam, Liverpool and Rome.

Feyenoord: Wellenreuther, Lotomba (van Persie 81′), Ahmedhodzic, Watanabe, Smal (Nieuwkoop 62′), Steijn, Targhalline, Valente (Timber 76′), Hadj Moussa, Ueda, Sauer (Diarra 62′)

Subs: Bijlow, Nieuwkoop, Timber, Gonçalo Borges, Tengstedt, Diarra, Sliti, Bossin, Plug, Ouarghi, Kraaijeveld, van Persie

Celtic: Schmeichel, Donovan (Ralston 84′), Trusty, Scales, Tierney (Murray 70′), Engels, McGregor, McCowan (Nygren 63′), Hatate (Paulo Bernardo 83′), Hyunjun Yang (Tounekti 71′), Maeda

Subs: Nygren, Balikwisha, Sinisalo, Iheanacho, Tounekti, Kenny, Paulo Bernardo, Doohan, Murray, Ralston, Hale, Isiguzo

Benjamin Nygren: It was a huge win for us tonight

https://www.celticfc.com/news/2025/november/27/benjamin-nygren–it-was-a-huge-win-for-us-tonight/

First Team

By Matthew Campbell

27 Nov 2025, 8:24 pm

When Benjamin Nygren’s powerful effort with 10 minutes to go in Rotterdam cannoned off the bar and in to the net, the Hoops knew they were home and dry with a 3-1 win in the Europa League.

It was a finish worthy of sealing any victory, not least of all because of the hard work of Colby Donovan and the relentlessness of Daizen Maeda in the build.

But it was Nygren who applied the finishing touch to a good move and a brilliant performance from Celtic and, speaking to Celtic TV at De Kuip after the match, the Swede was still on a high after a famous win.

“It feels great.” He said. “It was a needed win and now we’re back in it.

“I really don’t remember everything from the goal! Daizen laid it back to me, I tried to stay calm and make a good finish.

“I just tried to put it high and it was a good finish so that was great!

‘It’s always huge to win no matter who you’re playing in a European game. We’ve won here against a good team who are usually in the Champions League.’

“Today was a great game for us and we need to keep on going now.”

The Swedish midfielder also had a word for the travelling Celtic faithful, who, through the wind and the rain in Rotterdam, backed the Bhoys and drove them on to victory.

He added: “We heard them all through the game tonight so that was great. We’re so fortunate to have fans who travel everywhere we go.

“We’re so happy to celebrate the win today with them and all of our fans back home in Glasgow.”

Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic: Hoops deliver huge Europa League win as Martin O’Neill prepares to step aside

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/13474846/feyenoord-1-3-celtic-hoops-deliver-huge-europa-league-win-as-martin-oneill-prepares-to-step-aside

Report as Celtic beat Feyenoord 3-1 in the Europa League; Ayase Ueda gave the hosts an early lead; Hyun Jun Yang and Reo Hatate scored for the Hoops before half-time; Benjamin Nygren netted a third late on; Celtic have seven points after five games; Feyenoord are on three points

Alison Conroy

Football Journalist @AlisonGConroy

Thursday 27 November 2025 20:11, UK

Martin O’Neill delivered Celtic a parting gift as he led them to a huge 3-1 Europa League win against Feyenoord.

With the 73-year-old set to step aside for Wilfried Nancy to take permanent charge, his aim was to bow out on a high and he delivered.

It was a nightmare start in Rotterdam as Ayase Ueda fired in the opener, but goals from Hyun Jun Yang and Reo Hatate had the Hoops ahead at half-time.

Stats

Celtic rode their luck in the second half, but stood firm with Benjamin Nygren coming off the bench to fire in a third off the underside of the bar for their first win in the Netherlands since 2001, a game O’Neill was also in charge for.

They move into a play-off place while Feyenoord have won just one of their five games in the competition.

Momentous win in Rotterdam

Martin O’Neill’s been in interim charge at Celtic since Brendan Rodgers resigned

Image: Martin O’Neill has been in interim charge at Celtic since Brendan Rodgers resigned

Celtic started with Luke McCowan and Yang either side of Daizen Maeda in their front three and the former was guilty of an extraordinary early miss, hitting the bar from a yard out after an Arne Engels corner.

They were caught out by a ball over the top in the 11th minute with centre back Auston Trusty on his way back from a solo run deep into the Feyenoord half. Sem Steijn laid the ball off for Ayase Ueda to finish.

The goal sparked a flurry of red flares flying in from outside De Kuip, which had a stand closed as UEFA punishment for fireworks use.

Fireworks landed on the pitch as Feyenoord fans celebrated their opening goal vs Celtic

Image: Fireworks landed on the pitch as Feyenoord fans celebrated their opening goal vs Celtic

The visitors were soon in trouble following a cross but Leo Sauer shot over from six yards.

Celtic responded but McCowan could not control Yang’s cross.

The former Dundee player made up for his missed chances by playing a key role in Celtic’s 31st-minute equaliser.

His lofted pass found Hatate, who hooked the ball to the far post where Yang netted from close range.

Celtic had two major let-offs before going ahead. They were firstly caught on the break, this time with Liam Scales out of position but Ueda’s shot was saved by Kasper Schmeichel.

Another Ueda shot appeared to hit the hand of Callum McGregor but penalty appeals were waved away.

Celtic profited from pressing Feyenoord back to their goalkeeper two minutes before half-time when Maeda charged down Timon Wellenreuther’s attempted pass and the ball broke for Hatate, who finished first time from 22 yards.

With Feyenoord’s most vocal fans locked out and Celtic in front, the travelling fans were making all the noise and their team controlled the opening stages of the second half.

Engels had a free-kick well saved before the hosts forced some sustained pressure, hitting the bar through Gaoussou Diarra’s header.

The home side were growing increasingly confident until some positive play from a limping Colby Donovan set up the 82nd-minute clincher.

Maeda once again disrupted Wellenreuther as the keeper tried to collect the right-back’s low cross and the ball broke for Nygren, who fired in off the bar from eight yards.