Celtic's Defensive Chaos Exposed Again by Ferencvaros in Europa League

The boos at full-time were loud, lingering and laced with déjà vu. Celtic’s defensive issues, exposed in the Old Firm defeat, were laid bare again in Europe as Ferencvaros walked out of Celtic Park with a ruthless 3-1 win and three points that never really looked in doubt once the visitors sensed weakness.

Martin O'Neill had promised a reaction after the League Cup collapse against Rangers. What he got instead was a near-repeat: bright start, slack defending, and a team that still looks miles away from knowing how to manage a big night.

Bright start, same old story

For the opening spell, Celtic moved the ball with intent. James Forrest, cutting in from the left like it was 2015 again, was the sharpest player on the pitch. On eight minutes he picked out Camilo Duran in the box, only for the forward to take an extra touch and drag his effort wide. It felt like an early warning for Ferencvaros. It turned out to be one for Celtic.

On 20 minutes, the familiar frailty returned. Kieran Tierney failed to deal with a cross, the ball broke to Bamidele Yusuf and his shot, heading goalwards, clipped Liam Scales and flew past Viljami Sinisalo. Another own goal, another soft concession, another Celtic back line staring at each other in disbelief.

Ferencvaros sensed more. Daniel Arzani tested Sinisalo soon after, drifting past Cameron Carter-Vickers before the Celtic goalkeeper got down sharply to push his shot wide. The home crowd, noisy at kick-off, began to murmur.

Celtic did respond. Forrest kept probing, Haissem Hassan almost turned in another of his crosses at the back post, and Callum McGregor saw a deflected effort spin behind for a corner. The pressure finally told just before the break.

Tierney, desperate to atone for his earlier error, swung in a fine cross on 44 minutes. Mika Baur timed his run perfectly and smashed the ball into the net. Celtic Park erupted. Level at last, momentum back, a lifeline just before half-time.

It lasted barely a minute.

A collapse in real time

Straight from the restart, Celtic imploded. Yusuf again ran at Tierney, skipped past him, then glided beyond McGregor, who was too slow to clear the danger. The cut-back found Kristoffer Zachariassen, who flicked the ball past Sinisalo. From jubilation to shock in seconds. “Nightmare” barely covered it.

O'Neill needed calm and control at the interval. What he got after it was chaos.

Barely two minutes into the second half, Celtic handed Ferencvaros their third. They surrendered possession far too easily in their own half, Colby Donovan – fresh from his first Scotland call-up – caught out as the Hungarians swarmed. The ball fell to Arzani on the edge of the box and the Australian winger unleashed a vicious strike into the top corner. 3-1. Clinical. Brutal. Entirely avoidable.

Celtic’s defending, already under scrutiny after Ibrox, now looked like a full-blown crisis.

Chances late on, answers still missing

The game loosened, but Ferencvaros never lost control. Celtic pushed, created half-chances, but carried the air of a team chasing a game they never truly believed they would rescue.

On 67 minutes, Carter-Vickers sent the ball wide to Duran, who whipped in a dangerous cross for Kasper Hogh. The substitute stretched but couldn’t make contact. Benjamin Nygren curled just wide moments later at the other end, a reminder that Ferencvaros still had more gears if they needed them.

Sebastian Tounekti forced Adam Varga into a strong save with a powerful strike from distance, and Nygren then tried to lob the goalkeeper from range with Varga stranded, only to send his effort over the bar. Celtic, for all their late flurries, never really looked like scoring twice.

When the whistle went, many seats were already empty. Those who stayed let their feelings be heard.

Big signings quiet, big questions loud

O'Neill had made four changes from the defeat to Rangers. The reshuffle did little to steady the back line or lift the attack when it mattered. Duran and Hogh, two of the headline summer arrivals, again failed to stamp their authority on a major game. For a support that expected this squad to kick on from last season’s league and cup double, that is a growing concern.

The pattern is now too clear to ignore: promising spells on the ball, careless turnovers, defenders exposed, and opponents walking away with goals that feel like gifts. Celtic’s problems at the back are no longer a tactical quirk – they are the defining feature of their early season.

O'Neill didn’t hide from that reality.

“We're naturally disappointed getting beaten. It's not the start we wanted,” he said. “We have seven games in which to try and get some points on the board. Really need to concentrate now on Sunday [against Rangers]. Tonight was a European lesson for us in many aspects. We'll get ourselves together. We need to re-energise ourselves as much as anything else.

“When we have decent possession of the ball, just don't give it away. But also I think taking a few risks as well too – risks in the proper areas of the field.”

On the full-time boos, he was blunt.

“I've been here 25 years ago where the crowd can react like that, so it's genuinely nothing new to me. I think that they were showing a lot of frustration as well. At times when we had the ball, we looked as if we were going forward and the next thing you know we've put two passes backwards. So those things definitely frustrate you and that's something that we'll have to try and iron out.”

Rangers next – and no hiding place

Celtic will still sit top of the Premiership going into the international break, whatever happens on Sunday. On paper, that sounds reassuring. In reality, the mood around the club is anything but calm.

Two Old Firm defeats and a Europa League loss inside eight days would be unthinkable for this support. Yet that is exactly what O'Neill now has to avoid as he scrambles to find his best XI and a defensive structure he can trust.

The league table says Celtic are in control. The performances say something very different. And with Rangers looming again at the weekend, how long before the pressure on O'Neill stops being a question and becomes the story?