Celtic 0 Juventus 3: Neil Lennon says the Hoops ‘need a miracle’ in Turin
Celtic 0 Juventus 3: Neil Lennon says the Hoops need a miracle in Turin if they're going to overturn a three-goal deficit from the first leg
Neil Lennon says that Celtic need a miracle if the Scottish champions are going to overturn a three-goal deficit in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie at Juventus.
The Turin side made a blistering start at Parkhead with Alessandro Matri capitalising on Efe Ambrose’s hesitancy and firing his strike under Hoops goalkeeper Fraser Forster after just three minutes.
Lennon’s side bounced back from the early setback and peppered Gianluigi Buffon’s goal with efforts throughout the first half before Ambrose missed a free header in the 62nd minute.
Celtic were made to pay for not taking their chances when Claudio Marchisio scored on the counter-attack, with Mirko Vucinic adding a late third to virtually seal Juve’s place in the quarter-final.
“We know it’s a daunting prospect going to Turin at any stage and a 3-0 deficit is almost insurmountable,” said Lennon.
“If we can create the kind of chances we did tonight and take them, who knows?
“We need to try and be competitive and try and work our way into the tie but it’s going to be a huge ask now.”
He added: “We need a miracle. It’s the harsh reality of football at this level.
“We obviously didn’t get off to a great start but our reaction from losing the goal was fantastic.
“For 70 or 80 minutes, we were on the front foot, we were the better side and pressured Juventus into making mistakes.
“Particularly in the first-half, our energy and quality was as good as we’ve had here for quite a while.”
