The outcome, a 2-0 loss to Feyenoord in Rotterdam in the group’s opening match, seemed expected at this level, but the Scottish champions occasionally put in a strong performance.
Few people anticipated Brendan Rodgers’ team to come away from the Netherlands with a win or even a point since getting good results in the group stage has become increasingly difficult.
best seeds Even though it has been six years since Feyenoord participated in this competition, they have recently been on a roll and have a strong recent European pedigree.
However, the final result was one in which pandemonium gained control. At this level, it has happened previously.
However, this play seemed different, and it might give Celtic hope for two upcoming home games.
The performance of Rodgers’ team in the first half was better than on many away days, but the demise was precipitated by a costly error in injury time.
The manager declared, “What we demonstrated is that we’re going to be competitive.
“We got off to a great start. We made good progress with the ball and appeared dangerous. If we had made wiser choices, we could have had a chance to move ahead.
“Unfortunately for us, two players are dismissed. At 11 v 11, the level is challenging. The players continued despite the hardship.
Observe the surroundings. A month or so ago, it seemed improbable that Liam Scales might conceivably be Celtic’s star player in a Champions League match. He has shown himself to be a player with potential for Rodgers in the future.
Important Celtic players were also absent. every defender. Maik Nawrocki and Nat Phillips are two new additions in addition to Cameron Carter-Vickers. To date, Carl Starfelt
Despite all of that, Rodgers’ team initially exhibited a high degree of control over their well-liked rivals. The team will probably get better as injuries heal.
Celtic had a first-half advantage for me. They had a greater chance to score, according to James McFadden of Sportsound. “They must focus on the positives, and there were many.
“Overall, he must be pleased with his team’s effort while also feeling disappointed about the loss.
“The ability to make decisions in the last third, the readiness to possibly accept the risk of moving forward or play the pass, was there. They can examine those things and ask, “Can we do that better? ”
It was possible that there were three, four, or five.
Notably, Celtic’s center-back duo had zero prior Champions League exposure.
The Premiership team ultimately paid for their lack of experience when Gustaf Lagerbielke and Odin Holm received red cards, both of which could have and ought to have been avoided.
There was no turning back since Feyenoord grasped the chance in those split-second situations.
Playing with nine men is clearly incredibly challenging, and I’m really disappointed in the two dismissals,” Rodgers stated.
“The first one, [Lagerbielke], you just have to shepherd it through to the goalkeeper; don’t get into the altercation as it’s getting to Joe Hart; it’s just inexperience,” the referee said.
You can’t go to the ground like that, especially in Europe, and Odin is a terrific young player; he’ll learn from that.
Celtic are in need of learning right now. They’ve demonstrated the capacity to provide something that Rodgers will hope will result in the points needed to achieve his goal of playing European football after the holidays.
The score remained respectable despite being two men down, as captain Callum McGregor noted after the game.
“A testament to the group,” he remarked, “it would have been easy to lose three, four, or five at that point.”
“Then, to have two men dismissed in quick succession removes the game from our hands. Even with 11 men, it’s difficult; add nine. We will take heed of this.
“There are still five games left, so perhaps they’ll think we didn’t give up when they leave. We didn’t give up. At that point, we were still battling for each other.
Aiden McGeady, a former midfielder for Celtic, concurred with his confidence and thought that the manager would have found much to be encouraging.
He remarked on Sportsound, “I don’t think he’s ever going to be happy after a 2-0 loss, but that’s perhaps the happiest I’ve seen a manager after a 2-0 loss.
He may be telling himself and the players, “We’re at this level and we’ve shown that. We just need to be a little more clinical and a little more cute with our final ball and with our decision making,” after reviewing the first 60 minutes
