IF you are going to go down, you may as well go down swinging. The words of Ange Postecoglou prior to watching his Celtic team do precisely that against Real Madrid.
The Scottish champions came up short in the end against the might of the 14-times European champions, and current holders of the trophy, though the final scoreline doesn’t begin to tell the story of what was a frenzied, pulsating evening in the East End of Glasgow.
It probably won’t matter all that much to the Celtic manager how this match ended in terms of the result, though the eventual 3-0 defeat to second-half goals from Vinicius Jnr, Luka Modric and Eden Hazard will sting of course.
Pre-match vows of taking the game to the opposition can often ring hollow when reality kicks in on the field, particularly when you come up against a team of such pedigree. But Postecoglou’s players were true to his stirring words in the build-up to this epic encounter.
This was the Celtic team that Postecoglou has built in his image, his players fully committed to carrying out his brand of football on the biggest stage of all, against the best team of them all, and letting the cards fall as they may.
What transpired was a night that will be remembered for a long, long time. For much of it, it looked as though it might be one for the ages.
The famed Champions League nights at Celtic Park had threatened to fade into memory over recent years, and it felt like five years of pent-up frustration at missing out on these incredible occasions came pouring out of the 60,000 fans packed into the legendary old bowl.
The roar that greeted the Champions League anthem was like a rapturous greeting for an old friend, with the decibel level proclaiming that Celtic were back with a bang just as emphatically as the huge banner that was draped from the North Curve.
The only changes for Celtic involved those who picked up knocks in the rout of Rangers on Saturday, with Kyogo only making the bench to leave Giorgos Giakoumakis leading the line, while Carl Starfelt’s knee injury saw Moritz Jenz slotting in at centre-back.
Somewhat disconcertingly, Real Madrid had made only one change from the team that won this tournament against Liverpool in Paris in May, £100m summer signing Aurelian Tchouameni replacing the departed Casemiro to anchor Carlo Ancelotti’s midfield.
During the first-half, and in the opening 25 minutes in particular, Celtic weren’t just holding their own. They were thrilling.
Liel Abada almost scored in the opening 30 seconds, his shot deflecting just wide. The Celtic midfield was outstanding, with Reo Hatate stinging the palms of Thibault Courtois with a volley in-between a personal show-reel of his impressive passing range.
Callum McGregor was leading by example, and came within a lick of paint of putting Celtic ahead, his drive from the edge of the box crashing back off the inside of the post and rebounding agonisingly to safety.
If it was possible, that flurry of action around the Madrid goal cranked the noise up another notch, leaving the thought hanging over what would happen if Celtic actually managed to score.
There was a roar of relief as Karim Benzema was forced from the action after picking up a knee knock, though the sight of Hazard replacing him was hardly comforting.
The former Chelsea superstar still doesn’t look to be in prime condition, but he still had enough about him alright, putting a pass over the top that sent Vinicius Jnr racing in on Joe Hart. The Celtic keeper hadn’t had anything to do until that point, but when his moment came, he spread himself and came up with a big save when it was required.
As the whistle blew for the end of the first half, the Celtic support wouldn’t have known whether to be relieved to be level with such vaunted opposition, or a little disappointed that they weren’t ahead.
Abada had been the one Celtic player who looked a little overawed at the occasion, and he made way at the break to be replaced by Daizen Maeda. Madrid too were forced into a change, with Eder Militao traumatised enough by the treatment dished out to him by Giakoumakis to be kept indoors, with Antonio Rudiger sent in to match up to the Greek.
Straight away, Maeda had the chance of the night for Celtic. Juranovic fired a ball in from the right that landed at the feet of the substitute, but his first-time effort was sclaffed into Courtois’s grateful grasp.
It was to prove a turning point, as a lightning attack led one of Real Madrid’s outstanding players of the night in Federico Valverde to break away down the right. His early cross to the back post found Vinicius Jnr haring in from the opposite flank, and his first-time finish was sumptuous, beating Hart all ends up.
Celtic were looking stretched for the first time, and they were caught again as devastating one-two all-but ended their hopes of achieving a famous result on the hour.
This time it was Hazard who broke through the press, and with the Celtic defence ragged as they desperately threw their bodies in front of the ball, Modric showed the composure that has made him such a world-class talent for so many years, waiting for his moment before stroking the ball past Hart with the outside of his foot.
Celtic were chasing the game now, but not even the introduction of Kyogo could stem the tide that had turned in Madrid’s favour. A brilliant passing move brought them a third, Toni Kroos expertly picking out the run of Dani Carvajal on the right, whose volleyed cut-back was perfect for Hazard to tap home.
Alas, it wasn’t to be for Celtic. Postecoglou wanted to send the fans bouncing out of the stadium just as they had bounced in, but even though his side didn’t quite manage that in the end, the ovation his players earned at the end suggested they still have plenty of hope in their hearts for what lies ahead on this Champions League adventure.
