Hamburg 0-0 Celtic: Battling Bhoys Hold Germans To Point

Photo Gallery

Zoom

Europa League: Hamburger SV - Celtic Glasgow / Glenn Loovens, Marcel Jansen & Andreas Hinkel (Bongarts/Getty-Images)

Related Links

Teams

• Celtic
• Hamburg

By Andrew Southwick

Hamburg v Celtic: Line ups & Stats
Europa League results/standings

Celtic kept their slim Europa League hopes alive with a battling draw in Hamburg.

Hamburg were the dominant side for much of the game, but failed to make their possession count, and the Hoops may even rue missed chances from Georgios Samaras and Scott McDonald which could have nicked the three points.

Barry Robson returned for Celtic, replacing Paddy McCourt in midfield.  McDonald and Samaras formed the two-man strike force, with Scott Brown and Shaun Maloney still missing from midfield through injury.

The visitors had a noisy 3,000 supporters following them, boosted by a contingent from Hamburg’s city rivals St Pauli, but the home side were keen to silence them early and within the first minute a surging run from Jonathan Pitroipa won a corner for the hosts. Pitroipa was the man who met the resulting set-piece but was denied by a good block from Gary Caldwell.

The offensive start continued for the Bundesliga cracks, with Marcus Berg managing to get sight of goal a minute later, but Lukasz Zaluska was equal to it.

All of a sudden though it was Hamburg on the back foot, as Celtic pressed down the left. Samaras lost his footing in the box but the ball fell kindly to Barry Robson who curled a left footed shot over the bar.

On 17 minutes Celtic were denied by a great save from Frank Rost.  Samaras put through Scott McDonald whose goal-bound curler was tipped wide.

The chance perhaps gave Celtic too much confidence, and Andrea Hinkel – back playing on home soil – made the first mistake of an error strewn few minutes which allowed Marcell Jansen through.  Zaluska again was the man who mattered for Celtic though and managed to parry the shot away.

Then more sloppy play allowed Pitriopa an opportunity but he blasted the shot wide, much to the relief of Tony Mowbray’s side.

25 minutes in and, you guessed it, another mistake from Celtic as they gave the ball away, and Jansen wasn’t hanging about to find out who was to blame as he charged forward with intent, but he fired his shot wide.

Celtic were gifting possession to their hosts, but they had made it to the half-hour mark unscathed, and after David Rozehnal had a chance in a goalmouth scramble, the Hoops once again threatened to snatch the lead.

McDonald slipped through the blind side of his marker down the left, and found himself one-on-one with Rost.  As the ‘keeper rushed out, McDonald was forced into a quick decision and elected to try to drive it low, which only cannoned off the German and wide.

In the last seconds of the half Zaluksa nervously flapped at a free-kick as Hamburg tried to get their noses in front before the break, but Celtic were let off as a sea of white shirts let the ball pass without getting a touch.

Hamburg started the second half with the same intent they had started the first.  Landry N’Guemo conceded a needless free-kick on the right when he hauled down David Rozehnal, and the resulting effort found the head of Joris Mathijsen, who rattled the top of the bar.

Pitriopa should have put the Germans in front in the 51st minute.  N’Guemo was sloppy in possession, and Eljero Elia took advantage.  His shot was parried by Zaluska, but Pitriopa couldn’t put away the rebound.

Elia again was in the action five minutes later, finding a yard of space on the left, and his low shot wasn’t too far away from the right hand side post with Zaluska beaten.

Tony Mowbray made a double change just before the hour mark as he tried to change the flow of the game; Marc-Antoine Fortune and Lee Naylor replacing Scott McDonald and Aiden McGeady.

The away support were getting louder as they sensed a positive result from their travels, and Samaras should have given them a goal to shout about in 63 minutes.  A long ball released him on the left, but he elected to shoot first time, driving straight at Rost.

The game was now becoming a tetchy affair; and Samaras, Barry Robson and David Jarolim all went into the book within the space of a minute for two separate incidents, both for petulant pushing and shoving.

Hamburg were forcing corners but failing to cause any serious problems, however that changed in the 73rd minute when Zaluska was forced to tip wide a goal-bound header from Rozehnal.  Celtic needed to get forward though, and manager Mowbray made his final change as he replaced Barry Robson with Nial McGinn for the final quarter of an hour.

Good endeavour from Samaras in the 76th minute won them a corner.  Danny Fox swung it in, no-one could capitalise but Hamburg tried the counter attack, lost possession, and N’Guemo was able to feed Samaras on the left, whose cross wasn’t too far away from the lurking Fortune.

It gave Celtic hope, and Fortune forced another corner, as suddenly Celtic found themselves on the front foot.  However the home side showed how dangerous they still were as Ze Roberto drove through the middle, fed the goal scorer from matchday three Marcus Berg, who cut inside onto his right foot and sent a spinning shot wide.

Jarolim and substitute Piotr Trochowski sent efforts wide in injury time as the game petered out, and although their chances of qualifying from this group are unlikely, Celtic take home a deserved point.