Celtic secured their first Europa League points of the campaign with a 3-2 comeback win over Besiktas, but the result sparked a furious response from Turkish broadcaster Onur Yildiz, who claimed the Scottish champions would not even finish in the top ten of the Super Lig.
Celtic Comeback Stuns Besiktas
Martin O'Neill's side came from behind in a dramatic second half, with substitutes Callum Osmand and Camilo Duran scoring to overturn the deficit. Orkun Kokcu had earlier levelled late on after Besiktas had thrown away their lead, but Celtic held on for a first win in the competition.
The defeat was Besiktas's first in the Europa League this season, having gone into the match eighth in the group table with hopes of advancing directly to the last 16.
Yildiz's Explosive Post-Match Rant
Yildiz did not hold back in his assessment of Celtic's quality, saying: "Samet, look. If Celtic played in our league, the Super Lig, and finished in the top ten, I'll change my name."
He added: "Look, Besiktas played against such a bad team today. During the first half, Nubel almost got pneumonia. The ball didn't reach the man."
Yildiz also claimed that teams like Corum, Kocaelispor and Kasimpasa were "way, way better teams than Celtic" and suggested it was "over for Besiktas", adding: "The Tulip Period is over."
Cerny's Return to Glasgow
Yildiz singled out Vaclav Cerny, who was booed throughout his return to Glasgow. He referenced an incident from Cerny's time at Rangers when the winger sprayed water at Celtic fans from the bench after a goal.
"He gets a bit more motivated in this game because of some past incidents," Yildiz said. "There's an incident, I don't know if you remember, Cerny was playing for Glasgow Rangers. Glasgow Rangers score a goal against Celtic, Cerny pulled a water bottle from the bench and sprayed it at the Celtic fans."
Yildiz concluded that Besiktas's flaws had been exposed, particularly in defence, and criticised the club's failure to sign a central defender and a right-winger during the transfer window.
