Celtic 1-2 Celta Vigo result, stats and report

The Result, Plain and Simple

Celtic 1-2 Celta Vigo. Thursday 22 October 2026. That is the scoreline. That is the story. Celtic were at home, they took the lead, and then they handed it back. Celta Vigo came in on a run of four Europa League losses without scoring more than one goal in any of them. Celtic could not beat them. Think about that.

Mika Joel Baur Gives Celtic the Lead

Celtic took the lead on 47 minutes through Mika Joel Baur, a right-foot finish that gave the home side exactly what they needed. One goal up at Parkhead. Everything to play for. The thing is, what followed told you everything about this Celtic side's standards right now.

Celta Vigo equalised on 68 minutes. Javi Rodríguez got on the end of a Hugo Álvarez delivery and headed home. Three minutes later, Rodríguez was at it again. A right-foot shot on 71 minutes. Two goals in three minutes from the same man. Celtic's defence just let it happen. The lead they had worked for was gone in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

Celtic's Discipline Was a Disgrace

Listen, I do not care how many tackles you win or how many crosses you put in. Four yellow cards in one match, all from your own players, all while chasing a result, that is not bad luck. That is a complete absence of discipline.

Camilo Durán picked up a card for an argument on 23 minutes. Before the game was even at the hour mark. Martin O'Neill followed him at 67 minutes, again for an argument. Liam Scales got done for a foul on 85 minutes. Then Oliver Sørensen, brought on as a substitute, had a card by the 89th minute. Colby Donovan rounded it off with another argument card in stoppage time. That is four yellow cards from argument-related incidents and fouls in the second half alone. That is not a team competing with their heads on. That is a rabble.

Celta Vigo? Zero yellow cards. They came in desperate, on four straight losses in this competition, and they kept their composure better than the home side. That is unacceptable. End of.

The Numbers Tell You Everything

Celta Vigo had 22 shots in total to Celtic's 8. They had 125 attacks to Celtic's 75. They created 17 key passes. Celtic managed 5. Celta Vigo won 6 corners. Celtic won 2. These are not fine margins. This is one side dominating a match from the front.

Celtic did win more duels on the night, 37 to 28. They made 18 tackles to Celta Vigo's 9. So they were competing physically. The desire to win individual battles was there at times. But desire without organisation and discipline does not win you football matches. Celtic hit the woodwork once and had one big chance. That is not enough at this level.

Celta Vigo had 56 per cent possession and completed 580 passes to Celtic's 435. They were the better team and they got the result their performance deserved. I do not need your laptop to tell me that. You could see it.

Celtic's Europa League Record Is a Problem

Celtic have now played two Europa League matches in this rolling sample. They have lost both. Before Thursday, Celtic lost to Benfica 4-1 and lost to Ferencváros 3-1. That is nine goals conceded across two completed matches in this competition. Nine. They have not kept a single clean sheet. Both those matches ended with goals at both ends, meaning the back line has been breached every single time out.

Now they have added a third loss. Celta Vigo had been no better coming in, with four straight Europa League defeats across their four completed matches in this competition, conceding nine goals themselves. But they found a way to win on Thursday. Celtic did not. That is the accountability gap right there.

Celta Vigo's Rodríguez Is the Story

Javi Rodríguez won this match. A header from a Hugo Álvarez delivery, then a right-foot finish three minutes later. Two goals. Both in a seven-minute spell when Celtic should have been holding firm. He was subbed off later in proceedings, the job already done. That is what a proper finisher does. He takes his moment and he makes it count.

Iago Aspas came off in the 63rd minute, replaced by Williot Swedberg. Ilaix Moriba also came on at the same time for Celta Vigo. The changes did not hurt them. Celtic made changes of their own, bringing on Kasper Høgh, Oliver Sørensen, and Sebastian Tounekti, but none of it shifted the game back in their favour.

Where Does Celtic Go From Here?

The thing is, this is a results business. Celtic are at home in the Europa League, they take the lead, and they lose. That is not a one-off anymore. Two matches in this competition, two defeats, three goals scored, nine conceded. The attitude in the second half, picking up cards for arguments, losing their heads, that is not the behaviour of a squad that knows what it is doing in Europe.

Celta Vigo go away from Glasgow with three points they desperately needed. Celtic go away from Thursday with nothing. Accountability starts at the top, and it starts now. Because what we saw on that pitch was not good enough. Not even close.