Last update on. From the section Europa League
David Turnbull forced Balintvecsei to score an own goal in Celtic's second goal.
Celtic secured their Europa League knockout chances with a hard-fought victory over Ferencvaros, the Hungarian champions.
After a disappointing first half, Kyogo Furuhashi was able to score the opening goal with a brilliant Jota pass.
Balint Vecsei's shambolic own goal proved to be victory, after Callum McGregor had missed a penalty earlier in the game. This was a long time for Celtic.
After a tough start, a nearly full Celtic Park was able celebrate their first win in the group stage.
Celtic lost to Bayer Leverkusen and Real Betis in the opening match. This meant that they had to win if they wanted to progress in this competition. Manager Ange Postecoglou acknowledged this fact before the match.
Despite the unusual 15-30 BST kick-off time due to Glasgow hosting the United Nations' COP26 Climate Conference (partially because of this), a huge crowd gathered at Celtic Park to support their team in their mission.
In the first 45 minutes, they were more assertive but Ferencvaros held them at arm's reach. Ferencvaros decided to let them sit down and not give their hosts the space that they desire.
Kyogo was frustrated at the front, struggling to get off his marker's shoulder. Jota, an influential winger, came closest with two attempts which Ferencvaros goalkeeper Denes dibusz did well not to stop.
The Benfica loanee continues to grow in stature at Celtic. It was his driving run from his own side and precise pass that finally allowed Kyogo in behind Ferencvaros' backline. As the Japan forward held his ground, Kyogo was able to keep the ball in his path and score the first goal.
It was obvious that the relief was felt at Celtic Park. Three minutes later, Adam Montgomery cleverly pulled a foul from Henry Wingo and earned a penalty which allowed the home team to almost secure a win.
Celtic have been inconsistent for 90 minutes this season, and McGregor's spot kick was missed by Dibusz. He dived brilliantly to his right to maintain the score at 1-0. This set up a nervous end.
Ferencvaros' promise to be brave and aggressive did not materialize. Celtic, however, kept the pedal on the gas, eventually getting 10 minutes.
McGregor's outstanding tackle allowed Jota the opportunity to tee-up Turnbull. Despite the Scotland midfielder making an easy tap in, an attempted clearance seemed to hit Vecsei, landing in the top corner.
Postecoglou's men had more chances to make the win emphatic, and there were some defensive scares as well. But they finally got the victory they so desperately desired.
Callum McGregor is the Man of Match
Source: Opta
What have we learned?
Celtic won this convincing win on the European stage after conceding four goals in their six previous Europa League group games.
McGregor excelled at the midfield base, winning the ball seven times and recovering possession seven more times. He also pressed tirelessly to win the ball and score the second goal. It is difficult to overestimate his importance in the Celtic game.
Another positive was Jota's excellent form. He now has seven goals in nine Celtic games and appears to be a player who can improve his technical abilities.
Postecoglou will be pleased with another clean sheet after their defensive woes this season. However, Ferencvaros didn't bring the same dynamism and counter attack that they expected and Joe Hart and Anthony Ralston had to make critical interventions to keep the visitors away.
Although there is much to be done, a settled team and three consecutive wins will improve cohesion.
They said it!
Ange Postecoglou, Celtic manager: "We controlled and controlled the first half and they had to work hard for us to stifle them a bit but we still created chances and denied them any opportunity."
We knew they would tire in the second half, but they worked so hard. The game became more open and we scored a great goal. We could have had another one after that."
The stats are clear
Celtic won six of eight matches against Hungarian opposition in all European competitions (D1L1) and kept a clean slate in four of the last five.
Ferencvaros has now lost six of their last six matches in European competition (including qualifying matches), extending their longest losing streak in Europe.
Celtic ended a 14-match streak of Europa League matches without a draw and recorded one for the first ever time since October 2019, at CFR Cluj. They conceded 36 goals in their 14 previous matches.
Kyogo Furuhashi, a Japanese player, is the first to score against Celtic in a European match since Shunsuke Nagamura's win against Man Utd in November 2006 in Champions League.
Jota, the Celtic forward, has taken the most shots this season (12), but the Portuguese player is still waiting for his first goal.
Only four other Englishmen (Europa League/Champions League) have seen Joe Hart in more European matches since his debut season in Manchester City in 2010-11 (59, excluding qualifiers),
