Bologna were forced to settle for a draw after a chaotic and emotionally charged encounter against Celtic, a match that swung wildly despite the Scottish side playing with ten men for over an hour.

The evening began in nightmare fashion for the hosts. A costly early mistake from goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski gifted possession to the visitors, and Reo Hatate made no mistake, calmly opening the scoring to stun the home crowd.

Moments later, the game took another dramatic turn. Goalscorer Hatate was shown a red card midway through the first half, seemingly handing Bologna a clear advantage. Yet even with a numerical edge, the Italian side failed to regain control. From a corner kick, defensive lapses allowed Cameron Carter-Vickers to strike, doubling Celtic’s lead against the run of play.

The second half was all Bologna. Relentless pressure, wave after wave of attacks, and sustained territorial dominance eventually paid off. Thijs Dallinga rose highest to power home a header, reducing the deficit and igniting belief inside the stadium.

As the clock ticked down, the breakthrough finally arrived. Rowe unleashed a fierce strike under the crossbar late on, restoring parity and salvaging a point that had looked unlikely earlier in the contest.

2025-26, Europa League

Bologna - Celtic 2:2 (0:2)
Goals: Hatate, 5 (0:1); Trusty, 40 (0:2); Dallinga, 58 (1:2); Rowe J., 72 (2:2)

Bologna: Skorupski; Heggem; Casale (Lykogiannis, 85); Zortea; Juan Miranda; Pobega (Odgaard, 56); Moro N.; Ferguson L. (Cambiaghi, 73); Domínguez B. (Orsolini, 73); Rowe J.; Dallinga
Substitution: Odgaard (from 56); Cambiaghi (from 73); Orsolini (from 73); Lykogiannis (from 85)
Bench: Ravaglia F.; Pessina; Holm E.; Vitík
Yellow Cards: Juan Miranda 39

Celtic: Schmeichel; Scales; Trusty; Hatate (till 34); Donovan C. (Ralston, 77); Tierney; Engels (Bernardo P., 88); McGregor C.; Hyun-jun Yang (Kenny J., 77); Tounekti (Nygren, 46); Maeda
Substitution: Nygren (from 46); Ralston (from 77); Kenny J. (from 77); Bernardo P. (from 88)
Bench: Sinisalo; Doohan; Murray D.; McArdle; Balikwisha M-A.; McCowan; Forrest
Yellow Cards: Maeda 27; Hatate 31, 34
Red cards: Hatate 34'