Source: Team_Talk
Ledley helps Hoops make point
Joe Ledley's second-half header gave Celtic a deserved Europa League point from a 1-1 draw with Rennes at the Route de Lorient on Thursday.[LNB] But once again Hoops manager Neil Lennon was left to count the cost of a costly defensive mistake.[LNB]On the half-hour mark, with the game evenly-matched, a long punt by home keeper Benoit Costil was making its way harmlessly through to Fraser Forster but there appeared to be no communication between him and Cha Du-ri, who helped it on then watched in horror as the ball slipped past the Hoops keeper and in to the net.[LNB]That the South Korean was playing in midfield and only back as last man as a safeguard as Glenn Loovens and Charlie Mulgrew were still up the other end following a set-piece, made it harder to stomach for the Celtic boss.[LNB]It looked like another disappointing European night was on the cards for the Parkhead men but they mounted a spirited fightback and in the 70th minute Ledley flicked a Mulgrew free-kick over Costil to give the visitors a draw although they still remain bottom of Group I on goal difference.[LNB]Once again Lennon changed his defence, this time dropping stopper Daniel Majstorovic and replacing him with Loovens.[LNB]The Sweden international paid the price for the Hoops' woeful first-half display at Kilmarnock on Saturday, where they went in at the interval 3-0 down before fighting back to salvage a point.[LNB]Midfielder Victor Wanyama came in for the injured striker Gary Hooper, who did not travel, leaving Anthony Stokes to lead the line.[LNB]As promised, Rennes coach Frederic Antonetti left out his star midfielder Yann M'Vila altogether with other regulars such as Jonathan Pitroipa, Victor Montano and Jires Kembo-Ekoko starting on the bench.[LNB]Celtic started confidently enough and midfielder Ki Sung-yueng had an early drive from long range which forced a save from Costil.[LNB]Ki then went down in the box following a challenge from Vincent Pajot but his claims for a penalty went unheeded by Polish referee Robert Malek.[LNB]The French club gradually worked their way in to the game and in the 12th minute skipper Kader Mangane headed a looping free-kick from midfielder Julien Feret wide of the target at the back post, before a drive by Youssouf Hadji was headed over by Wanyama for a corner, which the visitors survived.[LNB]Rennes had control of the match as it passed the halfway stage but Forster had yet to see any real action.[LNB]The Parkhead side's first real chance came in the 24th minute when stand-in skipper Mulgrew threaded a long pass through to Stokes who smartly turned Mangane to leave him for dead but Costil turned the Irishman's shot over the bar for a corner which came to nothing.[LNB]That near miss appeared to energise Lennon's side but they were undone on the half-hour mark when the mix up between Du-ri and Forster handed the home side the lead.[LNB]It was a sickener for Celtic who almost went two behind moments later but Hadji's header close-range header from Alexander Tettey's cross went over the bar.[LNB]Celtic still looked a bit shell-shocked at the start of the second half, following what had no doubt been a robust pep-talk by Lennon.[LNB]In the 49th minute, though, Loovens did well to deny Tettey who had burst in to the box to get on to a pass by Abdoulrazak Boukari, the Dutchman shepherding the ball back to Forster.[LNB]Stokes continued to plough a lone furrow in attack and while Rennes were hardly piling on the pressure, it was hard to see where Celtic's equaliser was coming from.[LNB]In the 55th minute Forster, who was being taunted by the home fans, redeemed himself in part when he made a great point-blank save from defender Chris Mavinga who had worked a one-two with Feret before bursting in to the Celtic box.[LNB]Rennes then brought on Pitroipa and Kembo-Ekoko for Yacine Brahimi and Boukari but in the 63rd minute Costil made another save from Stokes, who had fired rather too straight at the keeper.[LNB]Moments later, as Celtic rallied, Costil parried a shot from Cha to the feet of Ki but slammed the ball over the bar from the edge of the box.[LNB]The game swung from end to end and in the 70th minute Celtic got what they deserved when midfielder Joe Ledley jumped high in a packed Rennes box to head in a Mulgrew free-kick.[LNB]The match hurtled towards an exciting finale and five minutes later, after Stokes had been fouled by Mangane, Mulgrew fired the free-kick from 30 yards just past the post.[LNB]In the 79th minute Forster made another great point-blank save, this time from Hadji's over-head kick.[LNB]Both sides went all out for the winner and in the dying seconds Forster made yet another great block from Pitroipa but the Hoops were worthy of a point which Lennon and the away fans celebrated with some gusto at the final whistle.
