Midtjylland Stuns Celtic in Europa League Encounter
FC Midtjylland delivered a dominant performance, defeating Celtic 3-1 in their Europa League match on Thursday night. The Danish side showcased their attacking prowess, leaving the Scottish giants reeling, while Celtic struggled to find answers despite a late penalty.
From the kickoff, Celtic aimed to pressure Midtjylland, with Arne Engels testing the goalkeeper early on. However, Midtjylland quickly found their rhythm, creating several opportunities within the first 10 minutes. Celtic's goalkeeper, Kasper Schmeichel, made some crucial saves to keep the score level. Midtjylland's pressure finally paid off in the 33rd minute when Martin Erlic headed home, opening the scoring for the home side. Just two minutes later, Mikel Kruger-Johnsen cut inside and curled a shot past Schmeichel, extending Midtjylland's lead to 2-0. Before Celtic could recover, Franculino added a third goal in the 41st minute, leaving Celtic shell-shocked.
The second half saw Midtjylland continue to create chances, looking to further extend their lead. Celtic managed to carve out a chance in the 56th minute, but Anthony Ralston's shot went narrowly wide. Celtic were awarded a penalty and Hatate converted in the 78th minute, but it proved to be a mere consolation as Midtjylland secured a comfortable 3-1 victory.
Nottingham Forest Held to a Draw by Sturm Graz
In other Europa League action, Nottingham Forest played to a 0-0 draw against Sturm Graz at the Merkur Arena. Despite dominating the first half, Forest were unable to convert their chances, with Morgan Gibbs-White missing a penalty. Forest remains unbeaten away from home in the competition, bringing their points total to five after four matches.
Forest started the match brightly, with James McAtee firing wide in the opening minutes. Ryan Yates's header was cleared off the line, and Neco Williams's low effort was saved by the Sturm Graz goalkeeper, Oliver Christensen. Forest were awarded a penalty when Emanuel Aiwu handled Williams's cross, but Gibbs-White's penalty was saved by Christensen.
The second half saw fewer chances, with Forest seemingly tiring as the game wore on. Nicolás Domínguez struck the crossbar late in the game, but Forest were unable to find a breakthrough. Despite the draw, Nottingham Forest remains unbeaten in their away Europa League matches this season.
Forest's next Europa League match is at home against Malmö FF. In the Premier League, they will host Leeds United on Sunday.
