Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers has come under fire after his side’s 2-0 defeat against Braga in Thursday evening's Europa League clash.
The Portuguese visitors struck first through Ricardo Horta's spectacular effort from 30 yards that caught goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel off guard in the 21st minute.
The Danish keeper appeared unprepared for Horta's ambitious attempt from distance, with the ball's movement proving too much despite lacking significant power or placement in the corner.
The hosts appeared to have found their breakthrough early in the second period when Kelechi Iheanacho capitalised on defensive errors to slot the ball into the bottom corner. However, following an extended video review, referee Tobias Stieler controversially disallowed the strike for handball.
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The decision sparked disbelief, with TNT pundit Joe Hart expressing his astonishment: "I presume there's a bad Wi-Fi connection because that can be the only reason we're not just getting on with this game at 1-1.
"Ball comes up. No touch, hits his cheek. I am flabbergasted."
The contentious ruling appeared particularly severe, with replays suggesting the ball had struck Iheanacho's face rather than his hand during the build-up play.
Kelechi Iheanacho was denied a goal but still managed to get on the scoresheet for Celtic
|REUTERS
Gabri Martinez sealed Braga's triumph five minutes from time, bundling the ball home from close range after Schmeichel and Liam Scales had blocked initial attempts.
The goal prompted immediate departures from frustrated supporters, with chants of "all Celtic fans against the board" and demands for chairman Peter Lawwell's resignation echoing around the stadium.
And fans were quick to social media to slam both the board and boss Rodgers after another lacklustre display.
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Brendan Rodgers has been hammered by fans online
|REUTERS
One fan wrote: "Rodgers out. Board out. Half the team out."
Another said: "I’m ashamed of how far we have fallen so quickly.
"If my performance in business was this poor, I would be fired."
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A third added: "Anytime we are heading in the right direction, they pull us back down to mediocrity. Rodgers needs calling out as well as the football is dull, boring backwards."
A fourth simply wrote: "Dreadful from the board to the pitch."
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Kelechi Iheanacho looked to have gotten Celtic back into the game... but VAR rules out his strike for handball ❌
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The Celtic Fans Collective had cancelled a planned 29-minute silence after club officials agreed to meet supporter groups on Monday to discuss transfer strategy concerns and Champions League qualification failure.
However, the evening's poor performance reignited tensions, with boos greeting the final whistle as discontent at Parkhead showed no signs of abating.
It was a night to forget for Kasper Schmeichel
|REUTERS
Brendan Rodgers attempted to salvage the situation with a half-time tactical switch, shifting to a three-man defence and introducing Marcelo Saracchi for Colby Donovan.
The alterations initially sparked improvement, but Celtic's attacking threat remained limited despite further substitutions including Reo Hatate, Arne Engels and James Forrest.
The defeat compounds Celtic's European difficulties following their Champions League qualification failure against Kairat Almaty and opening Europa League draw with Red Star Belgrade.
The Hoops also sit second in the Scottish Premiership after dropping points in two of their opening six fixtures.
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