Celtic strike twice before the break despite going down to ten men, but Bologna fight back in the second half to salvage a draw in the Europa League.
Bologna and Celtic shared the spoils in a dramatic 2-2 draw at the Dall’Ara, a match split cleanly into two halves. The visitors punished Bologna early and showed resilience even after being reduced to ten men, but the Rossoblù eventually made their numerical advantage count with a late comeback.
The night began disastrously for Bologna. Making his return after months out, Łukasz Skorupski committed a glaring error just five minutes in, gifting the ball straight to Maeda, who squared for Hatate to tap in the opener. A nightmare start that stunned the home crowd.
Celtic’s task became harder on 34 minutes when Hatate—already on a yellow—picked up a second booking and was sent off. Despite the setback, the Scottish side doubled their lead shortly after: from a corner, Tierney flicked on and Trusty reacted quickest to finish, exposing a Bologna defense caught ball-watching.
With a man advantage, Bologna pushed but initially lacked incision, struggling to seriously test Kasper Schmeichel. The turning point came after the break. Substitute Jens Odgaard immediately added urgency, and on 58 minutes he nodded a cross into the path of Thijs Dallinga, who finished to make it 2-1.
Celtic began to tire, retreating deeper to protect their lead. Bologna kept pressing and finally found the equalizer: Dan Ndoye Rowe unleashed a powerful left-footed strike that crashed in off the crossbar, leaving Schmeichel with no chance and sealing the comeback.
The result reflects a game of two contrasting halves—Celtic ruthless early and resilient with ten men, Bologna persistent and ultimately rewarded. Both sides head into the final group game with plenty still at stake.
Match Report
Bologna 2-2 Celtic
Goals:
5’ Hatate (Celtic)
41’ Trusty (Celtic)
58’ Dallinga (Bologna)
— Rowe (Bologna)
Bologna (4-2-3-1):
Skorupski; Zortea, Casale (Lykogiannis 85’), Heggem, Miranda; Moro, Ferguson (Cambiaghi 73’); Rowe, Pobega (Odgaard 56’), Dominguez (Orsolini 73’); Dallinga.
Coach: Italiano
Celtic:
Schmeichel; —
Coach: —
Referee: —
Red cards: Hatate (Celtic)
Yellow cards: —
