Celtic take all three points on the road with victory over Feyenoord | OneFootball

UEFA Europa LeagueThursday, November 27 2025De Kuip, Rotterdam

FEYENOORD…1(Ueda 11)

CELTIC…3(Yang 30, Hatate 42 & Nygren 82)

Celtic won in the Netherlands for the first time in over 24 years with a fantastic performance at De Kuip to breathe new life into their Europa League campaign.

The last victory on Dutch soil came in August 2001, when Martin O’Neill’s Celtic beat Ajax 3-1 at the Amsterdam ArenA. Fittingly, it was O’Neill who ended that long run tonight, guiding the Hoops to a much-needed three points and securing a first European away win since the triumph over Ferencvaros in Hungary in 2021 having had to come from behind early in the game.

It was a noisy but expected atmosphere inside De Kuip, with the wind and rain swirling around the old historic ground in Rotterdam.

Celtic started positively, with a through ball from Colby Donovan picked up by Luke McCowan, who looked to thread in Daizen Maeda. The Japanese striker could not quite sort out his footing before McCowan arrived to follow up, but the home side managed to clear through Anel Ahmedhodzic.

After seven minutes, Celtic earned a corner through Arne Engels. It was a fine delivery from the Belgian, flicked on at the near post by Maeda to the back post where McCowan was waiting. From close range he could only divert his effort onto the bar, but the flag was already raised with McCowan having strayed offside.

The home side took the lead just after ten minutes through Ayase Ueda, the Japanese striker in excellent form this season. A simple ball over the top of the Celtic defence found the on-running captain, Sam Steijn, who took it in his stride and slid a pass across the box for Ueda to finish past Kasper Schmeichel. What had been a positive start suddenly turned into a disappointing one.

Celtic looked to respond quickly, working the ball out to Yang as he went searching for confidence in his one-v-one duels. The Korean winger did well, skipping past his marker and flashing the ball across goal. McCowan tried to get on the end of it but could not quite control it, allowing the chance to slip away.

Moments later, Reo Hatate pinged a long pass towards Yang that forced the home defence onto the back foot. Yang waited for support and the move eventually found Engels, who attempted a clever reverse pass into Maeda’s path, but Timon Wellenreuther was out quickly to gather before the striker could connect.

The Hoops levelled after half an hour, a deserved goal given the flow of the first half. It came from a lovely move, with Hatate chipping a superb ball down the touchline for Donovan to race onto before drilling it across goal. Yang timed his run perfectly at the back post and bundled the ball home, sparking celebrations on the Celtic bench and in the travelling support.

Celtic needed Kasper Schmeichel moments later, however. Maeda was caught in possession in midfield and Feyenoord broke quickly. Ueda, searching for his second of the night, fired off a low effort but Schmeichel produced a brilliant save in trademark style to keep the score level.

The Celts then completed the turnaround before the break, once again thanks to the relentless pressing of Maeda. The forward closed down Wellenreuther, who looked uncomfortable, and managed to scuff his clearance, sending it into the path of Hatate on the edge of the box. The midfielder kept his composure and stroked the ball into the net to give Celtic the lead at half-time.

After the break, Celtic dominated possession, playing with a style and flair that had been missing for much of the season so far, with the home crowd inside De Kuip beginning to turn on their players.

Just after the hour mark, Celtic looked to really twist the screw and make their dominance count. Yang, who was once again running directly at the Feyenoord defence, flashed the ball across the box towards Engels, but his effort was diverted behind for a corner.

However, despite Celtic’s control, the Dutch side almost carved out an equaliser. Good play down Celtic’s left-hand side saw Sam Steijn break into the box, looking to beat Kasper Schmeichel to the ball. The Danish goalkeeper got a crucial touch before Liam Scales swept the danger away.

Feyenoord followed that with a corner a few minutes later, and Tsuyoshi Watanabe rose well at the back post. His header was cleared off the line by Callum McGregor and turned behind for another corner, briefly lifting the atmosphere inside the stadium.

The former Dutch champions then began to mount a mini-siege on the Celtic goal. Gaoussou Diarra’s header clipped the crossbar as the Hoops dug deep to weather a spell of pressure in Rotterdam. The home fans then appealed loudly for a handball against Auston Trusty, but it would have been an incredibly harsh decision and the referee waved play on.

At the other end, Sebastian Tounekti burst forward into the box. The Tunisian international cut onto his right foot but could not get his shot away, ending what had looked like a promising break for Martin O’Neill’s side.

There were loud cheers in De Kuip as manager Robin van Persie turned to his bench and handed a professional debut to his son, Shaqueel van Persie.

With ten minutes remaining, the Celts struck their third. Colby Donovan, exhausted but excellent throughout, produced a brilliant piece of play down the right before crossing from the by-line. The ball broke to Benjamin Nygren, who rattled his finish in off the crossbar to give Celtic a commanding lead and send some home supporters towards the exits.

Celtic saw the game out superbly to hand Martin O’Neill his first away win in European football proper as Celtic manager since Henrik Larsson’s goal against Boavista sealed a place in the UEFA Cup Final back in 2003. And in true Beautiful South style; Celtic had completed the collection having won in Rotterdam, Liverpool and Rome. 

Fixtures

Feyenoord Vs. Celtic - Thu, Nov 27th 2025, 17:45 Final score: 1 - 3