Rodgers expresses confusion after Iheanacho effort ruled out in Celtic defeat

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers voiced his frustration after Nigeria forward Kelechi Iheanacho found the back of the net but his effort was disallowed as the Hoops suffered a 2-0 Europa League defeat against Portuguese side SC Braga in their Europa at Celtic Park on Thursday.

With just over 20 minutes gone, Braga took the lead after their captain, Ricardo Horta unleashed a strike from distance, which beat Celtic keeper Kasper Schmeichel for a 1-0 lead. With five minutes left on the clock, Gabri Martinez made it 2-0 to Braga from inside the Celtic penalty area.

However, before the goal, Iheanacho had the ball in the net and it looked like he had grabbed Celtic an equaliser, but the goal was ruled out.

‘I don’t understand why it wasn’t given’

Speaking after the game, Rodgers dwelled on the disallowed goal. He told Celtic official website: “We’re still waiting to hear what the reason was. It was a pivotal moment in the game.

“We started the game well, and after 20 minutes, when they get the goal, I thought they then controlled the rest of the first half. We changed the structure of the team at half time, we were more aggressive and then we get the goal.”

He added: “For the life of me, I don’t understand why it wasn’t given because it’s not even close to being a handball. We’re still waiting on an explanation for that decision.”

Rodgers concluded: “We’re just in a moment where we can’t find the goal or get the break that you need. It’s definitely frustrating that we didn’t get something from the game.

“You want to win your home games and we didn’t do that tonight. We can’t blame anyone else but ourselves.”

Celtic have now picked one point from two Europa League matches, having drawn 1-1 draw against Belgrade in the opener.

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