Celtic surrendered a two-goal cushion and finished with 10 players as a 2-2 Europa League draw with Bologna slipped from their grasp at the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, despite leading through Reo Hatate and Auston
Trusty before Thijs Dallinga and Jonathan Rowe completed a strong response from the Serie A side.
The Scottish club controlled the scoreline for most of the match yet struggled to manage Bologna’s growing pressure, especially after Hatate received two yellow cards before half-time. From that point, Celtic had to defend deep, and the match swung towards the hosts, who dominated territory and possession during the second period.
Bologna actually started poorly, gifting Celtic the opener through a major error. Goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski played a pass straight to Daizen Maeda inside the penalty area, and the forward calmly squared the ball across for Hatate, who finished from close range to give Celtic an early advantage and silence the home support.
That setback sparked a reaction from the hosts, who then took control of the ball and began to test Kasper Schmeichel. The goalkeeper made saves on either side of an important block from Liam Scales, yet Bologna’s momentum appeared to be building before Celtic’s situation deteriorated when Hatate collected two bookings within three minutes and was dismissed.
Down to 10 players, Celtic still found a second goal against the pattern of play. In the 40th minute, a flick-on at the back post from Arne Engels reached Trusty, who reacted sharply to turn the ball home, giving Celtic a 2-0 lead that looked valuable but never felt fully secure given Bologna’s pressure.
Bologna responded soon after the restart and halved the deficit early in the second half. Dallinga pulled the hosts back into the match with a well-directed header, and the atmosphere inside the Renato Dall'Ara lifted as Celtic dropped deeper, trying to protect the lead with limited attacking outlets available after the red card.
The equaliser arrived with 18 minutes left when Rowe struck from inside a crowded penalty area. Schmeichel’s view was obstructed, and the effort travelled to the goalkeeper’s right before hitting the net. From then on, Celtic were largely confined to their own half, yet the defence restricted Bologna to half-chances and the match ended level.
Honours even at the Renato DallAra Stadium #BolognaCeltic | #UEL | #CelticFCpic.twitter.com/SJxqUQeRXiCeltic Football Club (@CelticFC) January 22, 2026
Europa League: Celtic vs Bologna statistics and data debrief
O'Neill and Celtic likely expected to protect the 2-0 lead despite the numerical disadvantage, yet Bologna commanded 84.4% possession after the interval. That control allowed the Italian side to sustain pressure and launch 34 shots, while Celtic, sitting deep, managed only two attempts in the entire second half.
Across the 90 minutes, Bologna produced 2.34 expected goals from their 34 efforts, compared with Celtic’s 1.99 xG from eight shots, highlighting how often the hosts threatened. Schmeichel finished with seven saves, and that display offers Celtic some encouragement that progression to the Europa League play-offs remains possible, though results elsewhere will now be crucial.
| Team | Goals | Shots | xG | Second-half possession |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bologna | 2 | 34 | 2.34 | 84.4% |
| Celtic | 2 | 8 | 1.99 | 15.6% |
The draw leaves Celtic reflecting on both resilience and missed opportunity, having led by two goals yet spending almost an entire half under sustained pressure with 10 players. Bologna’s comeback, fuelled by dominance of the ball and volume of shots, means both clubs leave with a point and work still to do in the Europa League group.
