Champions League
H. Be'er Sheva
Aug 23, 2016 7.45pm
2
0
HT : 1 0
FT
Celtic
  • Ben Sahar 21' goal
  • Ovidiu Hoban 48' goal
  • Yuvai Shabtai 90' yellowcard
  • yellowcard Callum McGregor 56'

Live Commentary: Hapoel Be'er Sheva 2-0 Celtic - as it happened

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Be'er Sheva 2-0 Celtic - as it happened
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Celtic travelled to face Israeli side Hapoel Be'er Sheva in their Champions League qualification playoff encounter with a 5-2 lead following their victory in the first leg at Parkhead last week.

The visitors made things difficult for themselves as they lost 2-0 on the night, but were glad of their first-leg win as they qualified for the group stages with a 5-4 victory on aggregate.

Relive all of the action from the Turner Stadium with our minute-by-minute updates below.

9.47pmYou have to feel for Hapoel in some ways, they showed so much fight this evening to make this contest so close. Not many of us were expecting it to be this tight. Celtic were poor, but you have to credit them too for somehow getting over the line in a testing and volatile environment. That's going to be all from me tonight, thanks for joining us!

9.41pmCeltic have done it, but we don't really know how here... Rodgers' side put in a woeful showing away from home and those goals back in Glasgow proved to be vital. Hapoel dominated every passage of the game might just be wondering how they were unable to upset the odds on the night. You might argue that they actually deserved this more than Celtic on tonight's showing. What really matters for Celtic, though, is that they have claimed progression into the group stages. They'll need to improve massively if they want to stand a chance against Europe's best, though...

90+4 minCELTIC QUALIFY FOR THE GROUP STAGES WITH A 5-4 AGGREGATE WIN

90+4 minFULL TIME: HAPOEL BE'ER SHEVA 2-0 CELTIC

90+3 minWill we have one more Hapoel raid? Sinclair picks up possession inside the Sheva half and heads straight for the corner. The striker wastes a bit of time before giving away a throw in favour of the home side.

90+1 minToure rises highest above Sahar, but gets called up for a foul by the referee. Buzagloat is hovering over the ball and his effort goes up and over the wall before dipping wide of the far post. Gordon goes into the book too for time wasting. A bit more of that might just do it for the visitors...

90 minWe're going to have four minutes of additional time now... Will we get that goal to turn this ground into pandemonium?

87 minQuite what Brown is thinking I do not know... The midfielder tries to pass his way out at the back but sends his ball straight to the feet of Ogu, whose effort is a poor one and goes flying over the bar.

85 minHave Celtic got enough in the tank to see this out? Hapoel will be frustrated that they haven't been able to find the killer ball in the final third. Celtic gain some respite inside the Sheva half, but it doesn't last for long as possession is soon surrendered.

83 minThe hosts are sharing lots of the ball at the moment but are unable to pick out the final ball. Sahar gets in behind this time although his cross is a poor one and Tierney gets the chance to clear for a corner.

78 minRodgers looks frustrated on the sidelines as he barks out instructions, but you cannot get away from how poor this showing has been from them. They started like a side that might as well have been beaten already. The visitors get the chance to keep some possession, although Dembele gives it away and back come Hapoel with another foray forward...

76 minAny sort of control would be beneficial for Celtic, but it is looking unlikely to come from anywhere at the moment. The ball is going straight up to Dembele and coming straight back in the form of Hapoel possession. 15 minutes of defending for Celtic... Can they do it?

75 minSUBSTITUTE: Hapoel make their final change as centre-back Vitor comes off in place of an attacking body in the shape of Shabtay. They're certainly going for it now...

70 minCan Celtic hold on and muster something on the counter? Only time will tell... It's all Hapoel as you might imagine. Celtic have improved slightly from an organisational perspective, but they can do little to stop the hosts from pushing forward at every opportunity. A corner is cleared only as far as Hoban, whose long-ranger is sent through a throng of bodies before being grasped by Gordon. Celtic need to hold onto the ball somehow. Things are going nowhere at the minute.

68 minCLOSE! Wow... what an effort. Celtic fail to clear their lines through Janko and a cross is swept in towards Nwakaeme. The striker heads the ball into space, where Hoban pulls out a gravity-defying bicycle kick that flies just wide of the far post.

67 minThat change might just tighten things up at the back for Celtic, but they're going to need to do plenty more to save this contest.

65 minSUBSTITUTION: Celtic call upon their final change of the evening as Sviatchenko takes the place of McGregor.

64 minCHANCE! How costly could this be? Sinclair finds a way through the Hapoel defence, but he is unable to beat Goresh as he flashes a shot straight at the Hapoel stopper from close range. The linesman eventually raises his flag for offside, though. Blushes spared for Sinclair that time...

62 minYou sense that there are certainly more goals to come in this contest and the next one will be absolutely crucial in the outcome of this tie. More pressure now from Hapoel, who stumble their way into the box with Radi, as his deflected shot falls kindly for Gordon who can smother.

60 minCLOSE! The crowd are responding to this situation with increased volume as the home side sense that this could actually happen. Dembele aims to break away on the counter before cutting inside towards goal The youngster bends a wonderful effort just beyond the far post. What a goal that would have been.

58 minThe Hoops are hanging on by a thread now, as Janko is upended by the skill of Buzagloat, whose cross is cleared desperately by Toure in the middle of the box. The hosts soon come again through Bitton, but Celtic somehow manage to stand firm.

57 minSUBSTITUTION: Celtic make another change as Dembele takes the place of Griffiths.

55 minCHANCE! Janko makes a complete mess of his clearance once more and allows Hoban to steal in down the left. He soon finds a cross into the middle for Sahar, who cannot find away past Gordon. Celtic are completely rattled.

52 minCLOSE! This really looks like Hapoel could create history this evening... Celtic look like a shadow of a football team at the moment and Rodgers will be livid. Sahar should make it three now as he is left unmarked in the area, but he can't get enough of his head on the ball to beat Gordon from close range.

49 minWhat an earth is Gordon playing at in the Celtic goal? Radi turns a pretty simple ball into the Celtic box, where Gordon comes ambling off his line to gather. Janko is all over the shop too and the pair clash before the ball is spilt into the path of Hoban. The midfielder collects and passes the ball into an empty net. A complete gift for the hosts... Horrendous football from the visitors, though.

48 minGOAL! HAPEOL BE'ER SHEVA 2-0 CELTIC (Ovidiu Hoban)

46 minHapoel will likely be throwing the kitchen sink at Celtic in these opening moments and it will be a real test of the visitors' character... The hosts have assumed control again in the opening stages.

45 minKICKOFF! Here we go then, Celtic get us moving again. As expected, Rogic has come on in place of Forrest in the middle of the pitch. Somehow Janko has managed to stay on...

8.44pmHapoel know that this game is up for grabs now and given the way Celtic have set about their work in the first half, the hosts will be confident of gaining the two goals required to reach the group stages. Luckily for Celtic, however, they can only really get better after that showing and a goal could make all the difference here.

8.34pmThe referee calls time on an exciting first half of football in Israel, where Hapoel look like a side completely transformed! The home side have put all of the pressure on Celtic following that opening goal and the visitors have looked all over the shop. What's for certain is that we're headed for an intense final 45 minutes here at the Turner Stadium. Brendan will surely make some changes, with Tom Rogic likely to come on in midfield at some point. Rodgers will be hoping that he can get things shored up and prevent the home side from grabbing the two goals now required for progression. A goal for the visitors wouldn't do any harm, that's for sure!

45+3 minHALF TIME: HAPOEL BE'ER SHEVA 1-0 CELTIC

45+2 minJanko aims to make up for lost time down the right flank as he battles with both Davidzada and Ogu, who eventually come out on top to regain possession. Celtic are bereft of options when they do get chance to hold the ball up.

45 minWe're going to have a minimum of three minutes of additional time in the first half.

43 minHave Celtic got enough in them to weather this storm, which has battered them pretty much non-stop since the start of the game? Hapoel move forward at pace with Radi, whose wonderful through-ball is cut out by Tierney at the crucial moment with Nwakaeme aiming to gallop in behind.

41 minCLOSE! Janko is at fault again for the umpteenth time now as the ball is taken past him before being cut back to Nwakaeme on the edge of the box. Thankfully for Celtic, Brown is there to get a vital touch on his long-range effort to deflect the shot away for a corner.

40 minCeltic will just want half time as things stand. The home side come forward again when Janko is robbed on the left side of the pitch. The ball eventually lands up with Nwakaeme, whose curling effort is watched all the way by a comfortable Gordon.

38 minRadi is causing problems with his set-pieces and he almost catches the visitors out. The ball comes flashing across the face of goal – where nobody decides to gamble on it – before it creeps beyond the back-post with Gordon looking sheepish on his line.

36 minCLOSE! Celtic almost have an all-important away goal as Sinclair finds himself with room in the box. Unfortunately for the visitors his effort is a tame one and trickles into the grateful arms of Goresh.

34 minSUBSTITUTION: Hapoel are forced into another change through injury, this time as Melikson has to come off in place of Buzaglo.

33 minSHOT! Celtic need some inspiration and they almost find it through Griffiths. The striker collects some intricate play on the edge of the box before lashing a stinging shot straight at Goresh.

32 minIf the Hoops can get into half time just one goal down then they'll be happy. They look a shadow of the side that turned out last week in Glasgow. They just haven't got going at all here.

30 minCLOSE! Celtic look shaky at the back and Janko is looking lost at the moment, he might need to come off. Melikson breezes past him with ease until a kind deflection sends his cross into the clutches of Gordon. The visitors need to focus and quickly...

29 minHmm... What is the referee playing at? Sinclair produces some wonderful footwork to leave Vitor in his wake, before being pulled down the by the defender just short of the Hapoel box. Somehow, though, the man in charge waves play on much to the annoyance on Celtic.

28 minSinclair aims to give the home side something to think about as he skips away from a challenge on the left to force a corner. The ball is aimed for Lustig, but Vitor is up early and can head away with ease.

26 minThe hosts are switching the ball with great pace from flank to flank and it's proving difficult for Janko. This time he almost lets Sahar in behind, leaving the striker to flash a volley just wide of Gordon's near post.

24 minHapoel are really taking the game to Rodgers and his charges following that goal. Most of the work is being done by Radi down the right, whose promising cross is eventually dealt with by Toure at the second attempt. Celtic look a touch bewildered here.

22 minNot what the travelling side wanted so early on... Celtic concede a corner which is turned into the centre of the area by Radi. It's a pin-point cross that picks out Sahar, who is able to get a huge leap on Brown before diverting his headed effort into the bottom corner past a stranded Gordon. Game on!

21 minGOAL! HAPOEL BE'ER SHEVA 1-0 CELTIC (Ben Sahar)

19 minSUBSTITUTION: Hapoel are forced into their first change of the night as Ben Sahar comes on to replace the injured Palhano Soares following that collision with Toure.

17 minCould that prove to be instrumental tonight? Janko got very lucky their given the shoddy quality of his defending. It was a silly lunge regardless of where the foul was actually committed. Celtic are still level, however, and that is what remains important for the visitors here.

15 minPENALTY SAVED! Scenes in Israel... Janko produces some really clumsy defending to upend Davidzada on what looks like the edge of the area. The referee gives a penalty despite the positioning of the foul, leaving Radi with the chance to step up and put his side into an important lead. Gordon has other ideas, though, and he remains planted on the spot to keep out the spot-kick.

14 minPENALTY TO HAPOEL BE'ER SHEVA!

14 minCeltic won't mind how things have panned out early on. They've looked compact at the back when under pressure and have already done a lot of pressing to keep the hosts on their toes.

12 minToure almost has his heart in his mouth when Radi threads a wonderful ball into the path of Palhano Soares, who then goes down under the defender's challenge. The frontman doesn't look in the best shape on the deck and is eventually stretchered off to the applause of the home fans.

10 minThe Hoops are slowly gaining a foothold amid the boos of the home fans. McGregor thinks he's in down the left, before the referee whistles for a throw. This crowd are certainly on it this evening!

9 minBitton is a bit miffed as he thinks he's won the ball fairly off Sinclair. Celtic get the chance to pump something into the box, where Griffiths soon gets ruled out for offside.

7 minThe home side look so much more confident than in the first contest. Button moves down the right this time, before crossing towards Nwakaeme at the back-post, who is unable to get near the ball as it flashes out for a goal-kick with Gordon stranded.

6 minCeltic put their first bit of real pressure on now and it comes via some industrious work from Janko down the right, where he fights off his marker several times before winning a corner. The ball eventually breaks to Lustig, who flashes his wild volley over the bar without troubling Goresh.

5 minShea seek some progress down the right now through Bitton, but Sinclair does some marvellous tracking back in order to win the ball. The Hoops look to spring forward on the counter, but Vitor steps in to cut out a ball into the feet of Griffiths.

3 minIt's been all Hapoel in the opening moments, but Celtic won't mind that too much given their three-goal advantage. The home side aim to get in behind through Hoban's ball, which is slightly overhit and the visitors get the goal-kick untroubled.

2 minSHOT! The home side break down the left channel and they are able to get the better of Forrest. Hoban moves unchallenged inside from the flank, where he fires his shot straight into the arms of Gordon in the Celtic goal.

1 minKICKOFF! Sheva get the game started kicking from right to left tonight. The sound in this ground is phenomenal...

7.43pmBe'er Sheva will feature in their red and white strip, while Celtic are to turn out in black and green...

7.42pmSo here we go then, the players arrive on the pitch to defining noise in Israel! We're just running through the Champions League anthem and then we'll be off!

7.41pmHere's an image a little earlier as the players went through their final warm-ups:

7.39pmIt's certainly good to see Patrick Roberts back on the bench tonight following his injury. He might even get some minutes towards the end of the match.

7.35pmWhat an atmosphere we have already before kickoff at the Turner. Safe to say, the Hoops have been absolutely hounded by the home fans during their warm-up sessions this evening. This is going to be an incredibly intense affair for the visiting side.

7.33pmPREDICTION!! We've got just under 15 minutes to go until kickoff and it is time for me to make a prediction. Hapoel are likely to be an improved force from what we saw first time around and they know that they require goals this evening. Expect the hosts to score at least one, but Celtic will be confident of scoring tonight too. Rodgers and his charges should get over the line quite comfortably and I'm going for a 2-2 draw.

7.31pmSo how do Celtic best go about this challenge? They have a three-goal advantage and one away goal for them would essentially kill the game. Hapoel have it all to do and need goals so perhaps we might see Celtic sit back and wait for the counter during the first half? That said, the Hoops took it to their opponents during the first tie and made light work of a much-hyped Sheva defence.

7.26pmThere are mutterings around the ground that the pitch is not in its best condition, with some patches looking a touch bumpy. Celtic did very well to contain John Ogu in the centre of the pitch last week and he could play an important role tonight should he be given the space to operate.

7.25pmHere's a quick look at conditions in Israel this evening, apparently it's beginning to cool down after a rather hot day at the Turner Stadium:

7.23pmBakhar hasn't given up hope of mounting a challenge this evening. Here's what he has had to say ahead of the contest: "Anything is possible in football and we will try to serve Celtic a reminder of that. I'm sure our crowd will match the atmosphere of Celtic Park and while we wanted to get back to Israel with a much more favourable scoreline, we will represent our club with dignity and see how it ends up."

7.21pmCeltic coach Rodgers has been speaking to the press ahead of this fixture and here is what he has had to say about his side's progress thus far, according to the official Champions League website: "It's been a very good week for us. We have put ourselves in a great position. It's going to be a tough, tight game but we have our three goals and confidence, which put us in a very good position."

7.20pmHoops skipper Scott Brown, who marked a strong performance with a standout volley in the first leg, is making some club history this evening. This is his 70th European cap for the club and he now becomes their all-time leading appearance-maker for the Bhoys.

7.18pmCeltic don't need too much going forward this evening given the aggregate scoreline so far and they can afford to wait to catch the hosts on the counter if needed - Sinclair's pace will definitely come in handy there. Qualification will be a memorable achievement for Rodgers given that he's only been at the club for three months.

7.15pmThis stadium has often been a difficult place to come for teams and Celtic could be inline for some rather hostile treatment after some sections of the club's support held up Palestinian flags at Parkhead. Be'er Sheva are yet to lose a league match in this ground since they moved in last September.

7.12pmRodgers had a number of standout performers in Glasgow last Wednesday. Sinclair was particularly impressive with his running both on and off the ball, while Griffiths produced two notable moments of clinical brilliance to push his side into an advantage. The return of Israeli midfielder Bitton this evening will also be a big boost for the travellers, who essentially already have two hands firmly on qualification.

7.09pmCredit where credit is due, though... Celtic were tremendous in the first leg and if were not for a few defensive hiccups this game would be a total dead-rubber. Rodgers and his men looked totally free of any shackles in the first game and it just appeared as if the Hoops might be turning a corner in respect of freezing at the vital moments.

7.07pmThe home side have their work cut out tonight should they want to reach the all-important group stages. Bakhar will be hopeful that Celtic's poor away form comes back to haunt them at some point tonight. As it stands, Celtic have won just two of their last 14 away games in the Champions League and Europa League since they last reached the group stage.

7.03pmHapoel made seven changes at the weekend when they opened their domestic account with a 2-1 victory in the Israeli top-flight, but it's basically back to business as usual for Barak Bakhar's outfit. The manager has decided to keep his faith in the forward pairing of Lucio Maranhao and Anthony Nwakaeme, meaning that Ben Sahar has to settle for a place on the bench. The host have, however, been able to call back crucial centre-back Miguel Vitor, who was absent in the first game.

6.59pmSo Rodgers has decided to make two changes to the side that beat Hapoel in the first leg. Mikael Lustig is still out after knocking his ankle, leaving room for Saidy Janko to slot in at right-back. There has also been a change in the centre of the pitch where Nir Bitton takes the place of Tom Rogic, who was instrumental in the first half last week. The Hoops have kept that same forward line that started the contest in Glasgow, with Scott Sinclair and Leigh Griffiths hoping to continue the development of their promising partnership. Moussa Dembele was impressive off the bench last time out and he will be hoping to make another positive impact as a substitute later in the contest.

6.57pmHAPOEL BE'ER SHEVA SUBSTITUTES: Haimov, Buzaglo, Sahar, Broun, Ohayon, Taha, Shabtai

6.56pmHAPOEL BE'ER SHEVA STARTING XI: Goresh; Bitton, Miguel Vitor, Tzedek, Radi, Nwakaeme, Hoban, Davidzada, Lucio Maranhao, Melikson, Ogu

6.53pmCELTIC SUBSTITUTES: De Vries, Izaguirre, Dembele, Armstrong, Rogic, Roberts, Sviatchenko

6.53pmCELTIC STARTING XI: Gordon; Janko, Lustig, Toure, Tierney; Brown, Bitton, McGregor; Forrest, Griffiths, Sinclair

6.52pmTime for some team news now...

6.48pmWith that said, the Bhoys have battled themselves into the driving seat and will be hopeful of progressing into the group stages come the end of tonight. It would be a pretty impressive achievement for Rodgers given the club's European failures over the past few campaigns. One goal for the away side at the Turner Stadium would mean that Hapoel require a minimum of four in order to dream of a place in the next round. This should be simple, but this is also Celtic...

6.47pmWe're in for a rather intriguing affair at the Turner Stadium this evening. Brendan Rodgers and his men were able to gain a three-goal advantage over their opponents at Celtic Park following a wonderful attacking display. Hapoel were able to grab two away goals, however, which could have an interesting impact on a Celtic side that have struggled away from home in recent times.

6.45pmGood evening all and thank you for joining us as we bring you live coverage as Celtic travel to face Hapoel Be'er Sheva in the second leg of their Champions League qualification playoff tie. The Hoops find themselves in a rather good position having claimed a 5-2 victory over the Israeli side in Glasgow last week.
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