European Champions League

Glasgow Celtic 2 - Villareal 0

Celtic: Boruc; Hinkel, McManus, Caldwell, Wilson (O'Dea 82'); Nakamura, Brown, McGeady (McGowan 76'), Hartley; Samaras (McDonald 82'), Maloney. 4-4-2.
Villarreal: Viera; Ángel, Fuentes, Gonzalo, Bruno; Marcos Senna (Nihat 46'), Edmilson; Cani, Ibagaza (Cazorla 60'), Matí Fernández; Guille Franco. 4-2-3-1.

Goals:
1-0- 14. Maloney. Headed in to net after keeper pushed on Wilson's cross.
2-0. 45. McGeady. Picked up ball in midfield and ran on to shoot low past Viera.

A depleted Villarreal will have to make do with being runners up to Manchester United in group F after a 2-0 defeat at Celtic. With his side already qualified for the knock out stage, Pellegrini rested many of his key players. They paid the price though when Viera could only flap at Wilson's cross, and Maloney got ahead of his marker to open the scoring.

With ten minutes to go to the break things got worse when the linesman spotted Guille Franco shrugging off Caldwell with his elbow off the ball, and although the defender didn't make anything of it the referee considered it serious enough to warrant a red card. And with the first half coming to an end, McGeady made it two with a low shot after a long run from midfield went unchallenged.

Pellegrini brought on Nihat at the break, but the Turkish forward was not at his sharpest after a long injury lay-off, and he failed to beat Boruc when free on goal soon after the restart. And the Scottish side could have won by a bigger margin in the end, Viera saving from Brown and McGowan heading Nakamura's cross wide with the goal at his mercy.