Celtic were left heartbroken on Wednesday evening as a gut-wrenching last-minute winner from Pedro made sure the Hoops came away from Champions League matchday two with nothing. Things may have been much different, though, had Luis Palma’s offside strike been on.
Heading into the last ten minutes, the hosts were continually mounting pressure on the Lazio goal. It looked as though they got their reward when Luis Palma controlled and finished accurately at the near post after a deep cross from Alistair Johnston.
Daizen Maeda, though, was adjudged to have helped the ball on and when he touched it, Palma was in an offside position. After a VAR check, the goal was chopped off, much to the disappointment of the 60,000 home supporters.
It would’ve been an utterly iconic moment had the goal stood, and after the match, Hoops gaffer Brendan Rodgers praised the would-be scorer Palma. He said (Glasgow Times): ‘I just think [Luis] will get better and better with the experiences, demands and expectations of playing for a club like this. He has got the technical quality. You could see from the disallowed goal that he has shifted it and finished it really well. He played a couple of nice cross-field passes and secured the ball.”
Compared to Yang, who started the match, Palma is a completely different winger. He is not as willing to drop a shoulder and run at a man and attempt to beat him with pace, but rather he will look to cut inside, be creative, or get a shot away.
Along with the South Korean internationalist, Palma is still settling into a new country and lifestyle. In spite of this, he has impressed of late, particularly over the last two games against Motherwell and Lazio.
His goal against the Steelman was vital and on another day, he would’ve walked away from Parkhead on Wednesday night the hero. Fine margins can be massive in football, but Palma will take the praise from his boss and ensure he continues his current upward trajectory.
