“They wear out quickly”; What the Italian media are saying about Celtic vs Lazio

It was defeat again for Celtic in the UEFA Champions League despite an encouraging display against Lazio.

Brendan Rodgers‘ team looked composed at the top table of European football, arguably more so than they did at any point last season. Yet the result proved to be very familiar as Lazio struck at the death to take all of the points home.

The feeling in many Celtic circles is one of deflation. Just how did we manage to lose a game that we could and should have won? The Scottish media has followed a similar path but what about the Italians?

Let’s take a look at what their main outlets are saying about events at Celtic Park.

Corriere dello Sport offered the best insight on the match from an Italian standpoint. They praised winning goalscorer Pedro for his big moment and admitted Lazio had “done little to win” up until the 95th-minute winner.

They also say that Celtic have had “nothing Scottish about it” for a long time — hinting at our playing style which is perhaps different to what many Italians were expecting.

The outlet’s player ratings see Kyogo Furuhashi as our top performer with a 7 and a “slippery centre forward” description. Matt O’Riley got a 6.5 while Liam Scales got a 6 and was described as “not bad”.

Rodgers was also rated as a 6, with a team general review reading: “Technical and fast Scots but they wear out quickly.” Celtic need to work on not wearing out as quickly.

Sky Sport felt that we had more going into the closing stages of the match, but that it turned out to be an important victory for the visitors.

Renowned publication La Gazzetta dello Sport reckon the match could “mark the turning point” for the Rome side. Their report is very factual, with little opinion given about Celtic.

Tuttosport‘s was similar, although they did use the word “bitter” to describe our apparent reaction to Luis Palma’s disallowed goal. They must have been round at my house.

Milan-based Corriere della Sera described the win as an “almost unexpected victory”. They say Ivan Provedel should have saved Kyogo’s goal but the Lazio keeper redeemed himself with a save from Reo Hatate later on.

They also continue a common theme from all of the reports that Lazio are becoming late specialists, having earned a last-gasp draw against Atletico Madrid and now beaten us in similar circumstances.