AZ Alkmaar 2 Celtic 1 (Celtic win 3-2 on agg.): Celtic try their best to blow it, but dig it out to make group stages

The Celtic manager factors a certain amount of risk into his gameplan, but even he wouldn’t have legislated for his own players being the biggest threat to their Europa League qualifying hopes.

It had all started so well too, with Kyogo Furuhashi – who else? – giving them a dream opening with a well-taken goal after the sort of trademark sweeping move we have become accustomed to from this team in recent weeks.

But as Celtic fans have become accustomed to over many, many years, it’s rarely that straightforward when it comes to watching their side on the continent.

While it may have been predictable that there would be a few bumps along the road even after the smoothest of starts, it was two incredible errors from two signings brought in this summer - in large part for their experience - that saw this match turned on its head.

Joe Hart’s hesitation allowed Zakaria Aboukhlal to haul AZ level immediately, before Carl Starfelt got himself tied in knots to volley home a second for the Dutch side into his own net.

It was crazy stuff, even by the standards of these early chaotic days in Postecoglou’s reign. One way or another, this Celtic side will be anything but a dull watch, but while their supporters’ hearts will have been in their mouths, at least Celtic’s name is in the hat as they held on to progress to the group stages.

As he has preferred to in European qualifiers, the Celtic manager dropped Odsonne Edouard to the bench and started Furuhashi up the middle, with Ryan Christie and the outstanding Liel Abada in support.

Within seconds, the gameplan paid off bigtime.

Ralston’s ball over the top found Abada scarpering down the right, goalkeeper Hobie Velhurst hesitated, and the winger was in. He got his head up to see Furuhashi sprinting through the middle in support, picked him out with a low ball across the face of goal, and the striker lifted it into the net.

It was a brilliant start, and Celtic now had a three-goal lead in the tie. Surely they were home and hosed from here? But no sooner had they hit the front, than Celtic shot themselves in the foot.

A punt over the top from Verlhurst was misjudged by Stephen Welsh and hit him on the shoulder, landing between him and his goalkeeper. It was poor from Welsh, but Hart inexplicably waited on the ball, allowing AZ forward Aboukhlal to nip in, beat him in the 50/50 and dink into the empty net.

It was a horrible error from a player of Hart’s experience, and while his influence has rightly been praised since his move to Celtic, he should not be spared the type of scrutiny that Vasilis Barkas would undoubtedly have attracted had he been the offender.

It was hard to tell if we were watching Angeball or basketball in these early stages, such was the frenetic nature of the end-to-end action.

Greg Taylor had tried to battle gamely on after picking up a shoulder injury following a slip, but he had to call it quits a little over 20 minutes in, with Adam Montgomery coming on.

If the equaliser was bad from a Celtic point of view, AZ’s second was even worse. A simple cross from right-back Yukinari Sugawara was watched all the way by Starfelt, but somehow, the centre-half got himself in an almighty fankle, missed his clearance and sent the ball into his own net off his standing foot.

There was always a danger that Celtic would give up opportunities, it’s what they do under Postecoglou, but to cough up two absolute gifts had little to do with their playing style or their manager. Rather, it was about experienced players doing the inexplicable. For Starfelt in particular, who has had an unconvincing start to his Celtic career, it was a nightmare moment.

Teun Koopmeiners flashed a shot just past the post to give Celtic another scare, and now the game looked more like a blood and thunder Scottish Cup tie than a European qualifier, with tackles flying in and bodies being put on the line.

Just before the interval, Hart redeemed his earlier aberration somewhat as Koopmeiners released Aboukhlal in behind, getting down brilliantly to turn the striker’s shot past the post.

Celtic made it to the break with their advantage intact, but the second half started with the hosts on the front foot once more, and Welsh did well on three occasions to keep them at bay.

Still, as promised, Celtic stuck to their guns and were determined to pass the ball out from the back. But AZ were swarming all over them high up the pitch, and Postecoglou’s men just couldn’t play their way up the park.

When they eventually got over the halfway line, Christie was bundled over. But as they waited for the whistle that should have arrived, and didn’t, AZ punted a ball the other way and suddenly Aboukhlal was in again. He toe-poked it low to Hart’s right, but the Celtic keeper did well again to get down and save.

Jesper Karlsson and Koopmeiners were running the midfield, with Tom Rogic and David Turnbull struggling to impact the game. It was no surprise to see Postecoglou shuffle his pack, with Edouard coming on for Rogic and Furuhashi dropping back to the left to allow the Frenchman to go up top.

Edouard started to hold the ball up, and suddenly Celtic had a measure of control, with Callum McGregor calming things down in the middle of the park.

Young Montgomery had shown up well, and he went close after some fine set-up play from Edouard, his drop of the shoulder allowing him room for a shot that was deflected a yard past.

Hart then came after a high ball he was never getting near before eventually scrambling behind for a corner, where his error was almost punished again as Bruno Martins-Indi glanced a free header just wide.

There was an unbelievable let-off soon after, as Sam Beukema laid the ball on a plate for fellow substitute Ernest Poku, but with the goal gaping, he somehow lifted over the bar from close range.

Celtic breathed a hefty sigh of relief, and even more so when the final whistle blew. They got there in the end, despite their own best efforts at times.