Ferencvaros deepen Celtic's crisis with 3-1 Europa League win at Parkhead

Ferencvaros compounded Celtic’s miserable week with a commanding 3-1 victory at Parkhead on Thursday, leaving Martin O’Neill’s side reeling ahead of another Old Firm clash with Rangers on Sunday.

The result arrived just four days after Celtic were beaten 3-0 by Rangers in the Scottish League Cup, and the Hungarian visitors wasted little time in adding to the pressure. Winger Bamidele Yusuf’s shot deflected off defender Liam Scales in the 20th minute to give Ferencvaros the lead, with on-loan goalkeeper Sam Johnstone — already shaky in Govan — replaced by Viljami Sinisalo for the occasion.

Celtic briefly steadied themselves when Mika Baur, fresh from receiving his first Germany call-up, swept in an equaliser from 12 yards in the 44th minute after Kieran Tierney’s incisive run and cutback. The respite lasted barely minutes. In first-half stoppage time, Yusuf dribbled into the penalty area and set up captain Kristoffer Zachariassen to flick home from close range, restoring Ferencvaros’s advantage with Scales and Cameron Carter-Vickers unable to intervene.

Former Celtic forward Daniel Arzani then settled the contest in the 47th minute, turning inside from the left and firing a stunning 20-yard drive into the top corner after Scales’s error had allowed Yusuf to send him clear. Balazs Borbely’s side managed the remainder of the match with relative comfort.

O’Neill had made several changes from the Rangers defeat, dropping record signing Kasper Hogh in favour of striker Camilo Duran and bringing in James Forrest, Haissem Hassan and Oliver Sorensen. Further substitutions followed in the second half as Celtic chased the game, with Benjamin Nygren going close with a curling effort in the 69th minute, but the Hoops could not find a way back.

The defeat leaves Celtic with serious questions to answer in both domestic and European competition, and with another meeting against Rangers arriving in days, the pressure on O’Neill’s squad is mounting rapidly.