De Vries says ‘knuckle-ball’ strike left him helpless

After Celtic’s bitterly disappointing 3-0 defeat to Zenit, Celtic goalkeeper Dorus de Vries claims there was nothing he could have done to keep the second goal out as the Hoops were dumped out of the Europa League.

Speaking to BBC Sport, the 37-year-old described Daler Kuzyayez’s strike as a ‘knuckle ball’ effort with great movement on the ball making it difficult for him to keep out.

It is a goalie’s nightmare in terms of the knuckle ball. There’s no spin on the ball and initially the ball moves right and then, a couple of yards before you, it just moves the opposite way.

However, De Vries admitted his disappointment after the ball flew past him and into the net.

Unfortunately, it happens with these kinds of balls. They’ve got a couple of players who can strike a ball like that and I’ve seen it before. I’m still disappointed with that.

An early goal from an unmarked Branislav Ivanovic in the box set the tone for the game and despite gain dominating possession, Celtic were unable to trouble the Russians, who capped off their night with a third goal from Aleksandr Kokorin.

Overall, it was a very painful night for Celtic as they failed to build on their excellent display from the first leg last week and they will look to improve when they face Aberdeen in the league on Sunday.