Lazio broke hearts in Scotland as they took home all three points against Celtic with a last-minute winner from veteran winger Pedro.
The Biancocelesti’s Champions League opener was a testing 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid, which also ended in dramatic fashion as goalkeeper Ivan Provedel netted the equaliser in the 95th minute.
Celtic’s first European outing this campaign was a difficult 2-0 loss away to Feyenoord, giving them an extra fire ahead of their first home game in the group.
At a rocking Celtic Park, Maurizio Sarri started his strongest Lazio squad, deploying players like Ciro Immobile, Luis Alberto, Daichi Kamada and Alessio Romagnoli.
It didn’t take long for Celtic to start taking control of the Champions League tie and they took the lead in the 12th minute after a drop in defensive focus allowed Kyogo Furuhashi to burst into the penalty area, where he calmy placed a shot under a helpless Provedel.
Lazio started to settle into the match after this and had a fairly close chance through Immobile in the 26th minute, forcing a save out of Joe Hart. Minutes later, Sarri’s side found their equaliser through Matias Vecino, who bundled a close-range header across the line to level things out.
Both sides had a few wayward chances across the second half until Celtic thought they’d scored a winner in the 81st minute thanks to Luis Palma. The goal was ruled out for offside, however, keeping things even.
In the 95th minute of the match, a forward break by Lazio allowed Mateo Guendouzi to float a cross into the Celtic penalty area, which was perfectly met by a leaping Pedro. The Spaniard’s header sailed over Hart into the back of the net, securing victory for the Biancocelesti in sensational style.
Lazio’s win over Celtic leaves them tied with group leaders Atletico Madrid after two games, keeping them in the thick of the race for a spot in the knockout stages.
