The Hoops battled back to secure their first win of the league phase
07:44, 24 Oct 2025Updated 08:01, 24 Oct 2025
He may be driving a Honda Civic – but Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers managed to drive his side to victory against Sturm Graz.
It was the first Europa League win for the Hoops as they bounced back from Premiership defeat to Dundee last weekend.
It looked like the misery could be piled on the Scottish champions when Tomi Horvat netted a stunning strike, but an impressive second-half fightback as quick-fire goals from Liam Scales and Benjamin Nygren secured a crucial 2-1 win over the Austrian side.
And it’s a game that has got everyone talking – with Record Sport revealing exactly what is being said by the global media.
Celtic’s Liam Scales (R) celebrates
(Image: SNS Group)Krone (Austria)
Even before kickoff, the Celtic fans created a goosebump-inducing atmosphere to the tunes of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone.’ Around 2,500 traveling Sturm fans more than held their own in the packed Celtic Park, which has a capacity of 60,000.
But it would be a bitter Europa League evening for Sturm Graz. They led for an hour against Celtic Glasgow thanks to a Horvat wonder goal, but then conceded two goals in just three minutes. The Scots ultimately triumphed 2-1.
Sturm’s defence didn’t look good on either of the two goals. A potential resurgence from Graz was thwarted by Chukwuani’s sending off, who hit his opponent with an outstretched leg. The Scots allowed little in the closing stages, and Bignetti prevented an even heavier defeat with a strong reflex save from Nygren’s header in the 85th minute.
Nieuwsblad (Belgium)
Celtic secured their first Europa League victory. The Scots, with Arne Engels nowhere to be seen, fell behind against Dimitri Lavalée’s Austrians, but just after the hour mark, two goals in three minutes turned the tide. Michel-Ange Balikwisha came on a good ten minutes from time.
Nachrichten (Austria)
Sturm Graz squandered victory away against Celtic, suffering their second defeat in three matches of the Europa League phase.
The Styrian team suffered a deserved 2-1 defeat at the hands of the Scottish champions on Thursday, despite leading 1-0 at halftime. While coach Brendan Rodgers’ team increased their points tally to four with their first win, Jürgen Säumel’s Styrian side remain on three points.
Benjamin Nygren of Celtic scores his team’s second goal with a header
Tomi Horvat had given the Bundesliga leaders the lead with a stunning long-range shot into the top corner in the 15th minute. The second-placed Scottish side subsequently created a significant advantage in terms of chances and turned the game around with goals from Liam Scales (61st minute) and Benjamin Nygren (64th minute). In the closing stages, Graz’s Tochi Chukwuani (70th minute) was shown a red card for a foul. For Celtic, it was their first European victory after a seven-match winless run.
Kicker (Germany)
Sturm Graz takes an early lead but can’t hold on to it. Celtic dominates, primarily through pace and set pieces, turns the game around, and deservedly wins. Graz shows fighting spirit, but learns the hard way. The Styrian side will be back in the Bundesliga this weekend.
Heute (Austria)
With a beautiful long-range strike, Tomi Horvat put the Austrian champions 1-0 up in the 15th minute on the third matchday of the Europa League, giving the Styrian club dreams of a sensational away win. But the pressure from the Scottish giants became too great, and Liam Scales (61st minute) and Benjamin Nygren (64th minute) turned the game around in just three minutes after several top-class chances for the hosts. Sturm Graz had no answer, not least because Tochi Chukwuani was shown a red card in the 70th minute for a foul with an outstretched leg.
Laola (Austria)
An important win for Celtic And a deserved win, to be honest, even from an Austrian perspective. Celtic created too many chances, but the Graz side applied too little pressure. After Rapid and Salzburg, Sturm Graz is the third Austrian team to lose its match in European competition.