Celtic secured their place in the Champions League knockout stages with an own goal from Young Boys, in a match filled with disallowed goals, missed penalties, and red card drama at Parkhead.
The Hoops knew a win against the bottom-placed side would nearly guarantee a play-off spot.
Kyogo thought he had given them the perfect start, but his goal was ruled out for offside. After Callum McGregor fouled, Kyogo’s second attempt was also denied, and he saw a third goal ruled out for the same reason.
Celtic dominated the game against a team still without a point in the group stage.
Things weren’t going Celtic’s way. Arne Engels had a poor penalty saved after Greg Taylor was fouled in the box just before half-time.
Auston Trusty struck the crossbar, and Kasper Schmeichel made a stunning double save to deny Young Boys, but fortune shifted when Loris Benito turned Adam Idah’s cross into his own net, sparking wild celebrations.
Celtic were later reduced to ten men when Daizen Maeda was sent off for a late challenge, but they secured the crucial win that sent them through to the next round with a match to spare.
Had the game ended in a draw, Celtic could have been left needing a result at Villa Park next week, but the late goal lifted them to 18th place, level on 12 points with the likes of Juventus, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Borussia Dortmund.
A victory next week in Birmingham would not only secure a seeded spot in the play-off round but could also see Celtic finish in the top eight for direct entry to the last 16.
The late stroke of luck was well-deserved after a performance brimming with energy for the first 60 minutes.
Midfielders Callum McGregor, Engels, and Hatate were in control, and Celtic created space through Young Boys’ defense early on.
Maeda and Nicolas Kuhn found room on the flanks, but the final delivery for Kyogo’s runs wasn’t always precise.
Kyogo’s first disallowed goal came just six minutes in, after a pass from Engels, and Kuhn soon found space behind the defense, only to have his shot deflected wide after a dazzling run.
Hatate and Kyogo both missed chances before Schmeichel made his only save of the first half, denying Joel Monteiro’s 25-yard effort.
Just after the half-hour mark, Kyogo had two goals disallowed in quick succession. The first came from a McGregor pass, but a VAR review overturned the goal, ruling McGregor’s earlier challenge on Niasse a foul. Kyogo was then flagged offside after converting a cross from Maeda.
In the 41st minute, Engels had a weak penalty saved after Taylor was fouled in the box, but the Belgian made amends by creating a few set-piece chances before the break. Kyogo and Hatate came close again.
The second half saw more pressure from Celtic, with Engels, Maeda, and McGregor testing the keeper, while Trusty hit the crossbar. Schmeichel then produced a stunning double save to deny Darian Males at the other end.
As Celtic’s energy began to wane, Brendan Rodgers made some substitutions to regain momentum. Alex Valle and Paulo Bernardo came on, followed by Idah for Kyogo.
However, the changes didn’t produce an immediate impact, and Young Boys threatened from a few set-pieces.
But in the dying moments of stoppage time, Idah’s run behind the defense led to the own goal, and Schmeichel saved a late shot from Sandro Lauper, sealing Celtic’s progress to the knockout stages.
