Celtic under-19s fell to another heavy defeat to Real Madrid as they signed off from their UEFA Youth League campaign with a disappointing afternoon in Spain.
Qualification was off the cards for the young Hoops but Shakhtar's draw with Leipzig in the other game meant that a victory would have moved them off bottom spot. However it wasn't to be with the difference in class on show from the opening seconds as the Spanish side blew the Scots away early on to cruise to a 4-1 win.
Celtic lost the reverse fixture in Airdrie 6-0 but even with free-scoring Real clear at the top of the group, there were no signs of the Spaniards taking their foot off the gas. Just 10 seconds were on the clock when a long ball cut the Hoops open for Iker Bravo to open the scoring, and it was 2-0 before the clock struck ten when Yeray Lancha's long range effort squirmed under Tobi Oluwayemi.
The big keeper had to be at his best to keep the score down and it looked as if his efforts might be rewarded when Adam Brooks pulled one back just 16 minutes into a breathless game. But that two-goal advantage was restored just before the half hour mark with Pol Fortuny putting Madrid back in control.
Real managed it well from there and added a fourth when Nico Paz fired one in from the edge of the box. It leaves Celtic bottom of the group with only one win to show for a disappointing campaign with the first-teams set to go head to head in the Champions League later in the day.
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