A hat-trick from Ricky van Wolfswinkel helped Utrecht turn their Europa League tie with Celtic on its head.
Van Wolfswinkel and co. send Lennon's men packing
A hat-trick from Ricky van Wolfswinkel helped Utrecht turn their Europa League tie with Celtic on its head.
The Hoops had led 2-0 heading into the second leg of their play-off encounter, but came unstuck on Dutch soil.
Three goals from Van Wolfswinkel and one from substitute Barry Maguire put Neil Lennon's men to the sword and ensured that it is Utrecht who will enter the group stages.
Cha Du-Ri recovered from the injury that kept him out of the weekend win over St Mirren to take his place in the Celtic side, while fellow casualty Glenn Loovens was named on the bench.
James Forrest made his first European start for the Hoops after retaining his place in the team following Sunday's 4-0 win, while Jos Hooiveld was also in the starting line-up after missing the first leg through suspension.
There had been heavy rainfall all day and the slick surface was causing a few problems for both sides early on, but Utrecht still managed to make an impressive start to the game.
Pressure
They had the chance to pile on the pressure when Dries Mertens stepped up for a free-kick just outside the box but goalkeeper Lukasz Zaluska did well to punch to safety.
However, Celtic found themselves trailing with just 11 minutes gone when Spanish referee Carlos Velasco Carballo ruled that Michael Silberbauer was fouled in the box by Hooiveld. Van Wolfswinkel ably converted from the spot despite Zalus getting a hand to the effort.
The Hoops' advantage from the first leg was wiped out completely seven minutes later when the referee pointed to the spot again, this time for Zaluska's challenge on Mertens. Again, Van Wolfswinkel stepped up for the penalty and this time slotted low into the corner.
Celtic appeared shell-shocked by their dreadful start to the game but had a chance to haul themselves back into the match when Efrain Juarez picked out Marc-Antoine Fortune. But his effort from just outside the box was poor and dipped well over the crossbar.
Utrecht still looked more likely to leave the net bulging again and were only denied a third goal by the woodwork when a volley from Mertens crashed off the crossbar five minutes before the break.
Lennon no doubt urged his players to regain their composure and set about claiming an early goal in the second half but Celtic were dealt a massive blow when Utrecht struck again a minute after the restart.
Surging
Nana Asare was allowed to embark upon a surging run before picking out Edouard Duplan and he played the ball into the path of Van Wolfswinkel, who rifled high into the top corner to complete his hat-trick.
With Utrecht now leading the tie, Celtic made their first change a few minutes later when skipper Scott Brown was withdrawn from the action and replaced by Shaun Maloney but hopes of resurrecting the tie were growing more futile.
The Celtic defence were having a torrid time against their rampant hosts and there appeared to be no way back for the Glasgow giants with 62 minutes gone when the ball broke for substitute Maguire and he lashed into the back of the net with a powerful strike from distance.
Van Wolfswinkel could have added to his tally when he found himself in plenty of space and had a go only to see his shot fizz narrowly past the upright.
At the other end, Paddy McCourt picked out Cha at the back post but his header fell harmlessly past the upright, with the largely unworked Michel Vorm untroubled by the effort.
Fortune then fared no better with a feeble shot with time rapidly running out, as Celtic saw their European adventure brought to an end by an impressive display from their Dutch opponents.
