Champions League Celtic v RB Leipzig Tuesday October 11th Kick off 8PM BT Sport 3

Absolutely * miles away from being a champions league team.

So far out of our depth here it's unreal. And we were in probably the easiest group we could have been in.

Pish pish pish.

 

All you have to do is hit the PM button mait.

Sitting there frothing at your screen calm down bbz.

 

I thought we were poor, but again. Take those chances and the game is totally different.

I’m genuinely at a loss as to what’s happened to us. Couldn’t score in a brothel.

 

Watch us go back to clinical finishing riiight up until we need to play in europe again

 

7 home Champions League defeats in a row.

A lot of that is the Peter Lawwell legacy but we're now well away from that and this can't be acceptable.

 

I'm not making excuses. I agree that over that period of time, we have been poor.

Are we painting Ange with the same brush?

Last year we had Europa League. This year we have Champions League. Is that not progress?

Last year we would've been mauled in the Champions League. We have played well in patches this year but it's not been enough, granted.

Im expecting progress next year in this competition.

 

Giakoumakis is hardly clinical either tbh. Deserves more minutes, but missed a sitter in the second half

 

We seem wide open when getting hit on the counter. If they had hit the wide areas earlier, and had it not been for Hart, i think it could have been another heavy defeat.

We dont seem well organised at all at the moment. Midfield is worrying as well.

 

Said at the start of the campaign I was sick of glorious failure, but that’s exactly what it’s been again. If you don’t take your chances you don’t win games of football, it’s that simple. Which was the case the first three games, and although there was an element of that tonight, the reality is that we were absolutely miles off it.

We look a shadow of the team we were going into the Madrid game. It’s now a worry going forward domestically as well. McGregor missing tonight was unsurprisingly huge, and it’s all about trying to get to the Xmas break no worse off.

Tonight was like going back to a Rodgers performance in Europe though. Outclassed and outworked. Pish * poor.

 

Poor finishing has cost us throughout this group. We're never gonna boss CL level teams, but we've played well enough to take the lead 2 or 3 times. I think Kyogo and Maeda both need dropped. Our first choice front 3 for the moment should be Haksa - GG - Jota.

Even Jamesy looked more dangerous than Maeda and Kyogo tonight.

 

It may have made for a spectacular spectacle but in hindsight Real in our opening games was possibly the worst thing to happen for our team. It shattered their faith in their ability to finish and they've been struggling to get it back since.

 

If we get to next season, keep our best players, add to the first team AND actually get results in Europe I’ll be gobsmacked. As in I’ll be gobsmacked because it’s an absolute fantasy with no basis in reality. We’re all Celtic fans, we’ve seen how the club is run. We won’t keep our best players, any worth their salt will be sold and we will be in a constant state of flux and that doesn’t mesh well with trying to be a wee team taking the game to these rich sides in Europe.
We need to be pragmatic, hard to beat and maybe we’ll see a bit of a success, and maybe we’ll keep more of our good players. I’d rather win ugly than lose in any manner

 

Timo Werner guided in the opener 15 minutes from time

Celtic's hopes of Champions League progress are over after their profligacy was punished in a frustrating home defeat by RB Leipzig.

Matt O'Riley and Greg Taylor struck the woodwork in quick succession and Daizen Meada and Kyogo Furhashi also passed up glaring chances for the opener.

Leipzig showed the ruthless edge Celtic lacked with late goals from Timo Werner and substitute Emil Forsberg.

It leaves the Scottish champions bottom with one point from four games.

But while a top-two finish is now beyond Celtic, their hopes of salvaging a Europa League place were boosted by Real Madrid's late equaliser away to Shakhtar Donetsk, who are now four points ahead in third and visit Glasgow in a fortnight.

Celtic's group-stage failings were encapsulated in a dizzying sequence midway through the first half. O'Riley rattled the base of a post with a 20-yard strike and Taylor pounced on the loose ball only to scuff it on to the bar with the goal at his mercy.

Seconds later, Kyogo grazed the woodwork with a gilt-edged header from Sead Haksabanovic's delivery.

Maeda had set the tone of frustration in the opening seconds, scooping an awkward header inches over, and wasteful finishing is ultimately what has condemned Celtic to an exit with two games to spare.



They were eventually undone by a slick Leipzig outfit that had found Joe Hart in imposing form. The Celtic goalkeeper, who gifted a goal in last week's defeat in Germany, stuck out a leg to brilliantly divert Christopher Nkunku's powerful drive past a post then spread himself to foil Willi Orban.

Celtic looked increasingly ragged as the second half swung from end to end and the only surprise was how only it took for a goal to arrive. Leipzig full-back Mohamed Simakan blazed over at one end, Maeda volleyed Aaron Mooy's cross wide at the other.

But Leipzig's growing menace was rewarded when Werner guided a header from Andre Silva's drilled cross into the bottom corner.

Still Celtic had chances, with substitute Giorgos Giakoumakis unable to convert from close range.

But Leipzig put the result beyond doubt when Werner rolled a pass to Forsberg, who took a touch then sent an unerring finish into the top corner.

Player of the match - Timo Werner

A goal and assist made it an enjoyable return to the UK for the former Chelsea striker
Galling night for Celtic - analysis
A night that promised much for Celtic ends with a familiar pang of regret over missed chances and an unwanted Champions League record.

The Glasgow club have now equalled Monaco's mark of having lost seven consecutive home games in the group stage, a barren run stretching back to 2016.

Deprived of captain Callum McGregor through injury, Ange Postecoglou doubled down on his attacking philosophy and O'Riley impressed in a deeper midfield role that he's accustomed to. Left-back Taylor, too, shone as the hosts gave as good as they got for much of this contest.

The stats, though, are galling. Celtic racked up 16 shots, just two of them on target, and their XG (expected goals) of 1.75 amplifies their struggles to put the ball in the net. It became inevitable that Leipzig would not be so generous at the other end.

It leaves Celtic needing to win at home against Shakhtar and take a least a point in Madrid against an already-qualified Real to secure the consolation of Europa League football.

What's next?
Celtic host Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday (15:00 GMT), the first of three domestic outings before their next Champions League assignment at home to Shakhtar on 25 October (20:00).

 

Why the * did we buy mooy.HH

 

Ur correct we have came a long way in terms of the Neil Lennon execution.

I never said winning League was a free pass maybe u should go back and read it was meaning we didn’t need to play 3 qualifying rounds to even get a sniff of the group stages

 

McGregor wouldn’t have made a difference Imo

 

Thought Jenz was excellent tonight though.

 

Aye he would have.

 

I agree.

Ajax, Benfica, Brugge, Porto, Sporting, Salzburg, Shaktar and Sevilla are all clubs who sell their best talents ever year and replace well.

That's what we need to do.

I don't think anyone is under the illusion that we will keep our best players year on year. All we can do is recruit well, which we have so far under Ange.

A revolving door for talent doesn't mean we can't progress. Those clubs above have proved that. That's what we need to aspire to.

 

Same kind of performance as games McGregor has played in, if we’d played a proper holding midfielder we’d have been more solid