Bologna 2-2 Celtic (Jan 22, 2026) Game Analysis – ESPN Skip to main content Skip to navigation ESPN NFL NFL NBA NBA NCAAF NCAAF NCAAM NCAAM NCAAW NCAAW NHL NHL Soccer Soccer More Sports More Sports Watch Watch Fantasy Fantasy Where to Watch Search Bologna v Celtic 2025-26 UEFA Europa League, League Phase Bologna Bologna BOL 3-2-1 , 11 PTS 2 3-2-1 , 11 PTS FT Celtic Celtic CEL 2-1-3 , 7 PTS 2 2-1-3 , 7 PTS Thijs Dallinga – 58' Jon Rowe – 72' Reo Hatate – 5' Auston Trusty – 40' Reo Hatate – 34' Summary Report Commentary Statistics Line-Ups Celtic battle for Europa League draw at Bologna By PA Updated: Jan 22, 2026, 03:07 pm Facebook Facebook Messenger Twitter Email Ten-man Celtic lost a two-goal half-time lead but held on for what could be a precious Europa League point in Bologna . Reo Hatate opened the scoring early on before collecting two yellow cards in three minutes. Auston Trusty doubled Celtic’s lead but Martin O’Neill’s side came under sustained pressure after the interval and goals from Thijs Dallinga and Jonathan Rowe brought Bologna level. Although the Italian side managed 37 attempts at goal in total, both teams had chances to win it before the game finished 2-2. The Celtic fans celebrated the result, which puts their team on eight points ahead of their final game against the already eliminated Utrecht at Parkhead next week. A win should see Celtic qualify for the playoff round. Former Aberdeen and Hamilton midfielder Lewis Ferguson came back into the Bologna team to captain the side but was left looking for a first career win over Celtic after his 17th attempt. Hatate opened the scoring in the sixth minute after a gift from Bologna goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski , who passed the ball straight to centre-forward Daizen Maeda . The Japan forward squared the ball for his compatriot to roll into an empty net. Celtic's Auston Trusty competes for the ball with Benjamín Domínguez of Bologna during the sides' 2-2 draw. Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images Skorupski partially redeemed himself moments later as he clawed Yang Hyun-Jun ‘s shot over the bar after Hatate’s pass threatened to get Maeda in behind. Liam Scales almost scrambled home the resulting corner. The game quickly turned though as Kasper Schmeichel made his first save, from Nadir Zortea , when Celtic were briefly down to 10 men as Maeda sorted trouble with a contact lens. The hosts kept up the pressure. Callum McGregor produced a goal-saving challenge following slack play from Hatate and Trusty delivered a series of blocks and interventions in the penalty box. Schmeichel tipped over a corner that threatened to sail straight in and saved well from Juan Miranda ‘s first-time strike. Hatate was booked for a foul on Ferguson before needlessly flicking out a boot to catch Miranda in the 34th minute as the pair chased a ball that was heading into the Bologna half. A red card followed and O’Neill also received a yellow card for his protests. The Celtic fans were celebrating again five minutes before the break as Trusty netted in off the bar at the back post after Arne Engels had headed on Kieran Tierney’s inswinging corner. Schmeichel saved Tommaso Pobega’s header and although Maeda swept a half-chance wide, the second half quickly developed into an onslaught of the Dane’s goal. Schmeichel saved Ferguson’s header and Nicolo Casale’s volley before Benjamín Domínguez shot off the top of the bar. The pressure paid off in the 58th minute when Dallinga got in front of Colby Donovan to nod home from six yards after Jens Odgaard had headed on a cross. Maeda was now playing as a supplementary wing-back as Celtic defended but the pressure was relentless. The equaliser came in the 72nd minute as former Norwich winger Rowe made space on the edge of the box and evaded substitute Benjamin Nygren to smash a shot into the roof of the net past a motionless Schmeichel. Celtic emerged from their shell and had opportunities to snatch an unlikely win. Substitute Johnny Kenny forced a save and might have been able to play Maeda in on a counter-attack while Liam Scales had a looping header tipped over. There were chances for the hosts too and Schmeichel saved from Riccardo Orsolini and Nicolò Cambiaghi . Game Information Renato Dall'Ara 12:45 PM , January 22, 2026 Coverage : Paramount+ Bologna , Italy Attendance : 23,791 Referees : Vasilis Fotias UEFA Europa League Standings Team GP W D L GD P Lyon 6 5 0 1 +10 15 FC Midtjylland 6 5 0 1 +8 15 Aston Villa 6 5 0 1 +6 15 Real Betis 6 4 2 0 +7 14 SC Freiburg 6 4 2 0 +6 14 Ferencvaros 6 4 2 0 +5 14 Braga 6 4 1 1 +5 13 FC Porto 6 4 1 1 +4 13 VfB Stuttgart 6 4 0 2 +7 12 AS Roma 6 4 0 2 +5 12 Nottingham Forest 6 3 2 1 +5 11 Fenerbahce 6 3 2 1 +4 11 Bologna 6 3 2 1 +4 11 Viktoria Plzen 6 2 4 0 +4 10 Panathinaikos 6 3 1 2 +2 10 Racing Genk 6 3 1 2 +1 10 Red Star Belgrade 6 3 1 2 0 10 PAOK Salonika 6 2 3 1 +3 9 Celta Vigo 6 3 0 3 +3 9 Lille 6 3 0 3 +3 9 Young Boys 6 3 0 3 -4 9 SK Brann 6 2 2 2 -1 8 Ludogorets Razgrad 6 2 1 3 -3 7 Celtic 6 2 1 3 -4 7 Dinamo Zagreb 6 2 1 3 -5 7 FC Basel 6 2 0 4 -1 6 FCSB 6 2 0 4 -4 6 Go Ahead Eagles 6 2 0 4 -6 6 SK Sturm Graz 6 1 1 4 -4 4 Feyenoord Rotterdam 6 1 0 5 -6 3 RB Salzburg 6 1 0 5 -6 3 FC Utrecht 6 0 1 5 -6 1 Rangers 6 0 1 5 -8 1 Malmö FF 6 0 1 5 -9 1 Maccabi Tel-Aviv 6 0 1 5 -16 1 Nice 6 0 0 6 -9 0 Full Table UEFA Europa League News Jadon Sancho puts Aston Villa on cusp of UEL last-16 spot Aston Villa guaranteed themselves a top-eight finish in the Europa League after Jadon Sancho's first-half header secured a 1-0 victory over Fenerbahce in Turkey. Celtic battle for Europa League draw at Bologna Ten-man Celtic lost a two-goal half-time lead but held on for what could be a precious Europa League point in Bologna. Police chief retires over ban of Maccabi fans at Aston Villa The chief of the British police force who recommended that fans from Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv be banned from attending a Europa League football match against Aston Villa in Birmingham last year retired on Friday following criticism of that decision. All UEFA Europa League News Terms of Use Privacy Policy Interest-Based Ads EU Privacy Rights Cookie Policy Manage Privacy Preferences © ESPN Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved.
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