Celtic put in a bold performance against European Champions Real Madrid at Celtic Park tonight – particularly in the opening 45 minutes – but ultimately fell short against a side with undoubted quality in their ranks.
The Hoops created the better clear cut opportunities in an entertaining first half and Liel Abada found himself with a couple of sights on goal with Callum McGregor striking the upright with a great effort from the edge of the box.
The half time whistle allowed Carlo Ancelloti to regroup and make some changes, replacing Militao with the imposing Rudiger to shore up the backline, and it seemed to have an impact with Celtic afforded far less space in the second half.
Goals change games, at any level of football, and a Daizen Maeda miss at 0-0 would prove costly, with Madrid scoring a quick fire double to leave us with a mountain to climb.
Eden Hazard added a third to leave the scoreline looking a bit harsh on a Celtic side who brought a lot to this game, and though many will look at some of our first half opportunities and see an opportunity lost, the Celtic supporters by and large will be proud of Ange Postecoglou’s side who went toe to toe for long spells with one of Europe’s best side.
Tino & James were on the mics from Celtic Park shortly after the final whistle to bring you all the key talking points from Matchday 1 of Champions League Group F.
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