Celtic 3-2 Real Betis: Youthful and much-changed side end campaign on high

Ewan Henderson scored with his first touch off the bench to put Celtic 2-1 up

A much-changed and youthful Celtic ended their Europa League group campaign on a high with a dramatic home win over Spain's Real Betis.

Betis levelled twice following a spell of three goals in five minutes - including Ewan Henderson's strike with his first touch - before David Turnbull's decisive penalty.

Amid a run of seven games between now and 3 January, Postecoglou had rested his first-choice side but was forced to bring on Kyogo Furuhashi after 25 minutes when Albian Ajeti was removed with a muscle injury.

Crucially the Japanese forward was himself forced off after the break, while Nir Bitton and Osaze Urhoghide both managed to stay on despite clashing heads.

• Reaction & as it happened

Celtic will now face one of eight second-place sides in the Conference League for the chance to play in the last-16 of Uefa's new third-tier club competition, with Bayer Leverkusen and Betis having already sealed the top two spots in Group G.

Manuel Pellegrini made nine alterations to the Betis side who won at Barcelona at the weekend, but they still possessed greater quality and experience than a raw Celtic, who included debutants Osaze Urhoghide and Liam Shaw, with Liam Scales making his first start.

After Welsh flicked home Liel Abada's corner for the opener, the visitors' quality gradually began to tell as Diego Lainez went close, before stand-in goalkeeper Scott Bain denied Cristian Tello and Joaquin.

But they only managed to haul themselves level in the 69th minute when Borja Iglesias' low shot was tipped on to a post by Bain, before ricocheting back off the Celtic keeper and into the net.

It was unlucky, but despite failing to qualify Celtic have not been short of goals in their group campaign, and responded three minutes later through 21-year-old Henderson, who tapped home Mikey Johnston's cross just after replacing Kyogo.

Iglesias - who was outstanding for Betis - calmly slotted past Bain when played clean through for an almost instant reply, only for Edgar Gonzalez to bundle over Liel Abada in the box as he streaked through on goal.

Turnbull - one of the 11 players rested from the starting XI - tucked away the resulting spot-kick for the winning goal, but there was still plenty of time for more drama.

First Johnston had a goal disallowed for offside, before the visitors passed up a gilt-edged chance to snatch a draw.

Nine minutes of stoppage time were added due to the head clash between Bitton and Urhoghide, and with one minute of it left Juanmi inexplicably headed into the ground and off the bar from three yards out.

Bitton stood tall to block a follow up shot on the line and clinch a morale-boosting victory for Celtic amid a busy run of games.

Match stats

• Celtic have won three of their last four Europa League games (L1), having won just one of their previous 11 (D2 L8).
• Their games in the competition this season have contained 28 goals (F13 A15) - more than any other side.
• Real Betis have conceded at least three goals in three of their last four European away games, as many times as they'd done in their previous 29 on the road.
• There were just nine minutes and 46 seconds between Bain's own goal making it 1-1, and Turnbull's penalty.
• Henderson scored just 37 seconds after coming off the bench, the second fastest goal by a substitute in the competition this term (Ryan Babel, 21 seconds vs Marseille).
• Bain became the first goalkeeper to score an own goal with Celtic in a major European competition (excluding qualifiers).