Celtic midfielder Benjamin Nygren said his team fully merited their 3-2 Europa League win over Besiktas at Celtic Park on Thursday night, a result that gave the Hoops their first points of the campaign, according to LiveScore. The Scottish side came from behind under manager Martin O'Neill to beat the Turkish visitors, halting a run of three straight defeats in the competition. Nygren, who played the whole match, argued afterwards that the performance matched the outcome.
Why it matters
The victory lifts Celtic off the bottom of their European situation and, in Nygren's view, puts their progress back under their own control. He pointed out that four group matches remain and that the team now needs to add more wins. For a side that had lost three in a row in Europe, beating a squad of Besiktas's quality offers both points and reassurance, and it came in front of the Celtic Park crowd.
A full shift and a deserved result
Nygren was restored to the starting line-up after being left out of the previous weekend's 2-0 league defeat to Falkirk, a decision he described as a surprise. He responded with a complete 90 minutes and several close attempts on goal. Speaking to TNT Sports, he said the players worked extremely hard and that the three points were earned rather than gifted.
He was careful to credit the opposition. Besiktas, he said, are a strong team with plenty of good players, and Celtic had to compete across the whole game. He added that his side created enough opportunities to have scored more than the three goals they managed.
LiveScore reports that Celtic had a difficult opening to the match, but Nygren rejected the idea that nerves had been a factor. He said some games simply start that way, and he felt the contest would have been enjoyable for neutrals to watch. He also noted that with a few new players in the side, the team is still building understanding, and he praised the contributions of those newcomers.
On his own near-misses, Nygren was relaxed, saying more goals will come. He stressed how important the fixture was and repeated that Celtic's European prospects are now in their own hands. He said the squad approaches every match intending to win it and that the task is to keep performing in the same way to collect further victories.
What to watch
Celtic's remaining Europa League fixtures will show whether the Besiktas comeback becomes a turning point or a single bright spot in a difficult campaign. Nygren's claim that the team controls its own destiny will be tested quickly, and his own place in the starting XI is worth watching after his response to being dropped.
