Celtic 4 Utrecht 2: He STILL needs new faces but Martin O’Neill might just have a few European surprises to come

More by accident than design, Celtic prolonged their interest in Europe. A run which has seen more ups and downs than a rollercoaster will go on for a while yet.

In the middle of this most trying of seasons on Kerrydale Street, this was a rare night of celebration for all concerned.

While there will be a sense of realism about how far this side can go in the knockout rounds of the Europa League, the prospect of at least one more tie will be widely welcomed.

If Martin O’Neill is granted the three heavyweight signings he craves before Monday, it’s just possible that the side might take another scalp or two before he heads into the sunset.

What a mark the veteran manager has left in this year’s competition. To the brilliant victory in Rotterdam and the hard-won point taken in Bologna, a defining triumph against Utrecht can now be added.

Celtic started brilliantly and were three-goals up and seemingly in an unassailable position inside 19 minutes.

The limitations of the team were seen with the concession of two poor goals either side of the break before Auston Trusty atoned for his red card at Tynecastle with the goal which finally knocked the stuffing out of the Dutch.

Of the 11 points Celtic have taken in eight group-stage matches, O’Neill has been responsible for seven of them. He deserves the opportunity to see where this adventure can lead to. Stuttgart or Robbie Keane’s Ferencvaros now lie in wait.

Amid all the mutual backslapping, though, no one surely will get carried away.

A year ago, Celtic were en route to a clash with Bayern Munich in the play-off round of the Champions League where they’d give the German behemoth one heck of a scare. That’s the level the club should be aspiring to compete at year-in year-out.

It was the failure of the hierarchy to build on that which led to the debacle against Kairat Almaty and the booby prize of Europe League football.

So, although welcome, the achievement of squeezing through in the secondary competition must be seen in context. Celtic were only in it in the first place because they didn’t act like a Champions League club.

Utrecht arrived here with only one point on the board and only pride at stake. For long spells, they looked like a side going through the motions.

There was a familiar figure in their ranks, one whose very presence might have induced night terrors among the Celtic support.

For two years following his £5million move from AEK Athens, Vasilis Barkas kept goal for the Parkhead club.

Across 24 appearances, the Greek proved to be about as useful as a windshield in a hurricane.

He does not appear to be improving with age. He made a dreadful error in attempting a pass which saw his side fall two goals behind inside 10 minutes. Within 19 minutes, he was picking the ball out of his net for a third time.

O’Neill’s last home European match as Celtic manager had come more than 21 years ago.

The opponent that night was eventual Champions League finalists AC Milan. A side boasting players of the ilk of Paulo Maldini, Kaka and Andrei Shevchenko left Glasgow after a goalless draw.

It spoke to the heights Celtic were scaling in continental competition in those times that the outcome was met with disappointment. That now feels as if it belongs to a different age.

Credit where it’s due, though. Although Utrecht offered very little, Celtic did what was required of them.

They did not let the Dutch settle in the game. They pressed them high, forced errors and dominated the early contest.

Notwithstanding the obvious difference in quality, the display was unrecognisable from the mess that was the last home game against Roma under Wilfried Nancy.

O’Neill’s men were in front inside six minutes. Colby Donovan threaded a pass to Kieran Tierney. The full back, who’d passed a fitness test, eliminated Gjivai Zechiel as he made for the byline.

His cut back was perfectly placed in between two defenders. Benjamin Nygren tapped in from two yards to claim his 14th goal of the season.

Four minutes later, Celtic doubled their advantage. Barkas’s attempted pass to Mike van der Hoorn lacked pace. Nygren intercepted and crossed. Maeda put enough pressure on Nick Viergever to force the Utrecht man to bundle the ball over his own line.

Barkas did partially redeem himself with an excellent stop to prevent Nygren scoring direct from a free-kick.

The third goal arrived via the penalty spot after the sharp eye of VAR Gianluca Aureliano noticed Dani de Wit handling the ball after Trusty’s header.

After taking an age to agree, Referee Mohammad Al-Emara pointed to the spot. Engels bludgeoned the spot-kick high into the net.

Celtic might well have had more. Maeda couldn’t quite steer a low header on target from Nygren’s cross. Seb Tounekti also blasted high over with the net beckoning.

Utrecht were not at the races but succeeded on getting themselves on the scoreboard a minute from half-time.

They worked the ball smartly up the right and broke inside. De Wit fizzed a low strike past the stationary Schmeichel from the edge of the box.

While the Dane’s involvement was questionable on that occasion, he did well to tip away Niklas Vesterlund’s looping header in the final action of the first half.

O’Neill would have been irked at seeing his side give the Dutch just a glimmer of hope.

There was just a hint of anxiety about the Scots after the turnaround. Utrecht began to play with freedom and unforced errors began to creep into Celtic’s play.

They looked like they’d played through the sticky patch and ought to have re-established the three goal-advantage.

Callum McGregor released Yang Hyun-jun who, in turn, found Nygren. The Swede thought he’d found the top corner until Barkas reacted with a strong hand.

Remarkably, having been comprehensively outplayed in the first half, Utrecht made it 3-2 just after the hour mark.

Celtic turned the ball over cheaply and suddenly Adrian Blake was threatening to run clear. With two defenders in pursuit, he opted to shoot from 25 yards.

Not in a month of Sundays should his shot have beaten Schmeichel. Not for the first time this season, he picked the ball out of the net. Suddenly, the unthinkable became distinctly possible.

There was no little relief, then, when Trusty restored Celtic’s two-goal cushion four minutes later.

Engels’ corner was typically accurate. The American timed his jump to perfection and flashed a header home. Job done.