Copyright GIVEMESPORT
Martin O'Neill's first Europa League outing in charge of Scottish Premiership side Celtic didn't go to plan as FC Midtjylland ran out 3–1 victors in what was a rather comfortable win for the Danish club. There were very few players who proved their worth to the 73-year-old tactician and Anthony Ralston, who played 90 minutes at right-back but struggled to operate at the required level in Demark, failed to cover himself in glory. O'Neill's second spell in charge of the club began with a statement 4-0 win over Falkirk in the league before they booked their spot in the next round of the League Cup with a 3-1 triumph over arch-rivals Rangers at the beginning of the month. The Hoops were brought back down to earth on Thursday evening, however, as they suffered another loss – their second of the 2025/26 Europa League campaign. GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: FC Midtjylland have won all four of their matches in the Europa League this campaign, while they are also unbeaten in their last 12 matches in all competitions. Unlikely goalscorer Martin Erlic opened the scoring in the 34th minute before Mikel Gogorza doubled their lead a minute later and then, four minutes shy of the half-time interval, Guinea-Bissau international Franculino scored to earn them a three-goal lead. It took until the 81st minute for Celtic to bag a goal as Reo Hatate stepped up from 12 yards out to convert, but it was largely a night to forget for the Scottish outfit. Ralston, A 'Key' Man for Rodgers, Struggles in Europa League Loss In what can be considered an embarrassing night at the office for those associated with the Celtic Park outfit, O'Neill and his entourage were hoping that someone as experienced as Ralston could take the game by the scruff of the neck. He didn't, though, and Celtic now sit 25th – which is just outside the Europa League's play-off spots from 9th to 24th – after picking up four points from as many games. A 23-cap Scotland international, Ralston – who rose through the ranks of the club in the mid-2010s – was yet to play for Celtic in the Europa League this season, but O'Neill's arrival meant the 26-year-old was a crucial part of his plans. In Denmark, he was tasked with thwarting the threat of Gogorza, but he ultimately failed. Statistically, he took 55 touches – none of which were in Midtjylland's penalty box – in a performance to forget. He made four wayward passes into the final third, registered five tackles and won 5/7 (71%) of his duels, but nothing could provide gloss over how poorly he performed on the right-hand side of his side's back line. Recently-sacked Brendan Rodgers claimed that having a Scottish core at Celtic is "100% key to success". More specifically, he pointed to having the likes of Ralston in their ranks as a means of improving results north of the border. "Guys like Tony are really pivotal to the culture of this club," Rodgers said. "He doesn't play every single game, but he is probably one of our most important players here because of his history at the club." Ralston, however, isn't the Scottish club's first-choice right-back with Alistar Johnston ahead of the academy graduate in the pecking order. Last season alone, the Glasgow-born defender made just 23 performances, which equated to 1,110 minutes, across all competitions; he made just six starts in the Scottish Premiership. A change in management, however, could see him become a more important figure for Celtic – but, for the timebeing at least, spending some time on the bench could do him, and his teammates, a world of good. In fairness, his only real run of constant games in the 2020/21 campaign – Ange Postecoglou's debut at the helm in Scotland – and it's not unfair to say that he hasn't propelled to further heights following loan spells at Dundee United, St Johnstone and Queen's Park. Next up for O'Neill and Co is a home league outing against Kilmarnock before they travel to St. Mirren in pursuit of three points; as things stand, they are sat second – behind only Derek McInnes' Hearts – in Scotland's primary division and will be looking to finish top come the end of the season. In Europe, they next face Dutch side Feyenoord on away soil on November 9.
