The good news for Celtic is that this is the best the Champions League has to offer. And they won't face as tough a test again in Group F. Ange Postecoglou and his players can be grateful for small mercies.
For the Scottish Premiership champions returned to the most prestigious competition in club football for the first time in five years and discovered it's still as unforgiving as 14-time winners Real Madrid taught them a harsh lesson.
It's no disgrace losing to the Spanish giants and the 3-0 scoreline in favour of Carlo Ancelotti's men might even seem a bit harsh given how much the Hoops put into the first half when they went in goalless and were the width of the post from being in front after Callum McGregor's shot cracked the woodwork.
But Spaniards moved up the gears in the second half and Vinicius Jr, Luka Modric a - couple of days before his 37th birthday - and substitute Eden Hazard all found the net on a sobering night. And as they come to terms with being outclassed the pressure will be on early as they travel to face Shakhtar Donetsk on matchday after their thumping win away to RB Leipzig.
Postecoglou made two changes from his weekend starting XI with Kyogo, who went off injured early against Rangers, on the bench as Giorgos Giakoumakis was giving the nod in attack and another derby casualty Carl Starfelt replaced by Moritz Jenz
A lot of pre-match talk was around Celtic’s front foot approach and whether Postecoglou would be more pragmatic against the Euro kings. It was no surprise he swatted that away and the evidence came inside the first minute as they flew out the traps and Liel Abada was a whisker away from opening the scoring.
Abada then had another glorious chance when Jota played a delicious first-time ball to the winger but with only Courtois to beat his effort was tame and straight into the arms of the Belgian. It was a big chance and one you have to take against opponents of Real Madrid’s quality.
The Spaniards, without seriously testing Joe Hart, looked dangerous in that opening quarter of an hour but they knew they were in a real game here and were the width of the post away from falling behind when Callum McGregor smacked the inside of the post from a Giakoumakis lay-off.
Postecoglou’s head was in his hands in the dug-out at how close he was to seeing his side take what would have been a deserved lead at that time. Moments before that McGregor effort Reo Hatate stung the palms of Courtois.
The visitors suffered a blow when talisman Karim Benzema, a doubt before the game, limped off after a few minutes where he showed discomfort. But having Eden Hazard to come on wasn’t a bad replacement.
Real Madrid had their best chance shortly before that change when Federico Valverde flashed a shot just off target in a warning to the Hoops. And the visitors pressured as the half wore on with Hazard squandering a golden opportunity when he fluffed a close range effort and Hart then came out to make a great save from Vinicius Jr.
Daizen Maeda was on for Abada at the break for the home side and he had a glorious chance within two minutes of the restart when Josip Juranovic’s cross fell to him but he couldn’t connect properly as he fluffed his effort.
And the Hoops were punished for that as the visitors took the lead just before the hour with a devastating attacking move. Evergreen Modric played a beautiful pass down the left channel. Hazard and Valverde linked with the Uruguayan who raced down the wing before crossing for Vinicius Jr. who supplied the finish.
It was a tough one to take and Celtic soon found themselves two goals down. Giakoumakis and Cameron Carter-Vickers collided as they challenged for the ball and it broke for Hazard who raced away before feeding Modric and he skipped away from the defence before sending a shot into the net with the outside of his right boot.
The Euro champions were loving it with the home fans silenced and added a third goal as Hazard made up for his earlier miss with a tap in from Dani Carvajal's cut back. Here’s five talking points from Parkhead:
Magnificent Madrid
The visitors looked a bit spooked at the start with Celtic starting on the front foot and more than matching the Spanish giants. But in going toe to toe with the men from La Liga, the Hoops started to tire and they really stepped it up in the second half. They showed just why they're European champions and were a joy to watch in full flow with the third goal coming after a 33-pass move.
Wait over for Carlo
Carlo Ancelotti finally celebrated a win at Parkhead at the fourth time of asking. The manager who has lifted Ol’ Big Ears a record four times had been to the east end of Glasgow on three previous occasions with AC Milan, losing once and drawing twice. However, on what could be his last visit as the 63-year-old is set to retire when he finishes with the Spaniards, he finally tasted victory.
Electrifying night
The result apart, this was the kind of evening the Celtic fans have been waiting for. The disco lights on, Zadok the Priest blaring over the Parkhead tannoy, You’ll Never Walk Alone and the best footballers on the planet coming to the east end of Glasgow. It’s been five years since they last experienced but boy did the atmosphere return with a bang in the Champions League group stage.
Plan A-ngeball
There has been so much talk of whether the Celtic boss would - or should - change tack against the European big guns. But he only wants to play one way and why should he change when he was able to go toe to toe with the best team in Europe for long spells? The Hoops boss was criticised after exiting three continental competitions last season but this is a different team and they showed that before Madrid's class told in the end. But they could have set up defensively and still lost - at leats they went down fighting. They have improved immeasurably and this underlined their progress after answering his critics at domestic level.
Shved showdown next
That's the problem with the Champions League group stage - it's such an unforgiving tournament. It's so important to try and get something from the first game and when you don't you're up against it. And the fact Shakhtar Donetsk got a win over RB Leipzig means defeat to the side from Ukraine in Poland on matchday two and the pressure will really be on. And who was the two-goal hero for Shakhtar? Marian Shved. Surely he couldn't come back to haunt the Hoops next week. Could he?
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