Celtic missed a golden chance to close the gap on Hearts at the top of the Premiership table, falling to a 2-0 defeat against Motherwell at Fir Park on Tuesday evening.
The Bhoys remain three points behind Hearts, albeit with a game in hand, and arrived in Lanarkshire brimming with confidence after back-to-back wins over Aberdeen and Livingston. But that momentum evaporated quickly.
Motherwell struck first after just 14 minutes. From a throw-in, Stephen O’Donnell whipped in a superb cross that found Ibrahim Said, who peeled away from Auston Trusty and nodded past Kasper Schmeichel to give the hosts the lead.
Celtic struggled in the opening half, failing to register a single shot on target. Wilfried Nancy’s side looked flat and short of ideas, and their first real chance didn’t arrive until five minutes after the restart.
Benjamin Nygren slid a clever pass into Shin Yamada, but the Japanese striker’s low effort was comfortably saved by Calum Ward.
The home side doubled their advantage just before the hour mark, capitalizing on a costly Celtic error. Schmeichel’s pass toward Arne Engels was intercepted by Elijah Just. His initial strike was blocked, but Elliot Watt was on hand to sweep home and seal the points.
“It was not a good performance,” admitted Nancy post-match. “We had difficulties today regarding the opposition we faced. In the second half, we were more front-footed at good moments, but we made too many technical mistakes. I’ll watch the game back to see what we need to improve. This is the reality—we need to rest a few players and respond.”
There’s little time for reflection. Celtic now turn their attention to Saturday’s Old Firm Derby against Rangers—a clash that could define their season. Fans in Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, and Macau can catch the game live on SPOTV NOW.
