By ROSS GREGORY
EFE AMBROSE rushed back from an African Nations Cup dream — straight into a Champions League nightmare.
The defender played for Nigeria in their triumph against Burkina Faso on Sunday and did not arrive back in Glasgow until yesterday morning.
But Celtic boss Neil Lennon decided he was fit for purpose and threw him straight into battle against Juventus.
And how he must have regretted that gamble as Ambrose’s third-minute howler left the Hoops with an impossible mountain to climb to reach the quarter-finals of Europe’s top club competition.
Ambrose completely misjudged a routine ball knocked forward by Juve to leave Alessandro Matri with a clear run on goal.
The striker sneaked the ball past keeper Fraser Forster and just over the line before Kelvin Wilson could clear.
Claudio Marchisio forced the rebound in anyway to make any debate about whether the ball was over the line academic — although Matri was officially credited with the crucial away goal.
Everybody knows how good Italian sides are defending once they get their noses ahead — so Ambrose’s blunder always looked as though it would prove disastrous.
And the defender’s night got even worse in the 62nd minute when he missed the home side’s best chance of the game. He headed straight at Gianluigi Buffon from six yards when it seemed easier to score.
That miss looked even worse in the 77th minute when the visitors doubled their advantage after a slick counter-attack. Matri’s sublime first-time pass fell into the path of Marchisio and the midfielder had the presence of mind to cut inside a tired Scott Brown challenge before smashing past Forster at his near post.
If that was a potential knockout blow then the Bhoys were well and truly on the canvas six minutes later — after yet another Ambrose cock-up.
He dallied on the ball, lost possession and could then only look on in utter despair as Mirko Vucinic raced clear to dispatch a killer third goal past Forster.
Former Celtic midfielder Roy Keane said: “It was a big gamble playing Ambrose at centre-half because he played in the African Nations Cup final for Nigeria on Sunday night and clearly he was not up to speed.
“It was an absolute disaster going a goal down so early.”
Lennon’s team still deserved some credit as they huffed and puffed all night and came close to scoring on a few occasions.
But now they will have to burgle the Old Lady of Turin by at least three goals in her own backyard.
And hands up anyone who can name a team which has managed to do that.
