Andy Walker has argued that Kristoffer Ajer’s miss in Celtic’s Europa League loss to Valencia on Thursday night was the key moment in the tie.
The Norwegian spurned a glorious opportunity from close range with the second leg still at 0-0, and ex-Hoops man Walker believes that, had he scored, things could have been very different for Brendan Rodgers’ side.
Speaking on Sky Sports News, he said: “Giving away a two goal advantage at home was where the problems lay, and you’ve go to say that Valencia were well worth their two goal advantage last week.
“Tonight, I thought Celtic were to better team, even allowing for the fact that seven or eight minutes before half time Jeremy Toljan was sent off. Even in the second half, Celtic’s passing was good, they made a couple of chances.
The big moment of the match was at 0-0 and Celtic had a free-kick. Beautifully whipped in by Ryan Christie and Kristoffer Ajer missed it from six yards out.
“Had that gone in they might have troubled Valencia, but I think over the two legs the better side won.”
? REACTION ?
Andy Walker says @CelticFC were the better side in their Europa League 2nd leg against Valencia – but the damage was done in their 2-0 defeat at home in the first leg-https://t.co/9vAQWMtQ8b https://t.co/wD1qhFqn3X
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) February 22, 2019
OPINION
There were a lot of factors besides Ajer’s miss that contributed to Celtic crashing out of the Europa League last night, but it certainly did not help matters in the slightest. When the ball falls kindly in that situation, the last person you want striding onto it is your centre-back, and after a gallant first effort, to slash the rebound so hopelessly wide was very disappointing, and downright poor. That being said, there were other issues that were probably more costly. Toljan’s red card was catastrophic, while a general lack of creativity over the course of the two legs was always going to be punished by a side who were, ultimately, just a better team. It is easy to deal in counterfactual punditry, but had Ajer scored, the momentum of the tie may well have shifted. Would it have shifted enough for Celtic to go on and win by a two goal margin in Spanish soil against a superior opposition, however? Probably not.