Celtic were swept aside in dramatic fashion against Borussia Dortmund yesterday evening (Tuesday) as last season's UEFA Champions League finalists triumphed 7-1.
The hosts dominated the Scottish champions from the first whistle to the last, with a Daizen Maeda equaliser inside the opening 10 minutes the only clear point of praise for Brendan Rodgers' side on the night.
This encounter was always going to be challenging given the pedigree of the opposition, but given the fine form the Parkhead outfit have exhibited this season so far – including a 5-1 Champions League victory against Slovan Bratislava on Matchday One – Celtic entered the game brimming with confidence.
Disappointing as the result is, the loss also marks the third time Brendan Rodgers has watched his side concede seven goals in the Champions League, having lost 7-0 against Barcelona in 2016 and 7-1 against Paris Saint-Germain in 2017.
This also makes him the first and only manager to have conceded seven goals in the competition on more than one occasion, far less three times.
Other teams have conceded more goals in one match – Dinamo Zagreb lost 9-2 against Bayern Munich last month; whereas Basiktas lost 8-0 to Liverpool in 2008, and Malmo to Real Madrid by the same margin in 2015 – but with six games of this season's UCL campaign remaining, the Irishman will naturally be keen to avoid similar deficits moving forward.
Read more:
- Brendan Rodgers' Champions League approach comes under the microscope
- Celtic Player Ratings as no player impresses in Dortmund
Speaking after the Dortmund defeat, Rodgers said: "We're really disappointed with the result and performance-wise. I don't think I have been involved in a game where virtually every mistake we made got punished, that's the level.
"We could have been better with the ball but I think the early goals seemed to spook us a little bit and we didn't play with the same confidence. They were playing at a high level.
"Second half the guys showed great spirit. We had more possession of the ball and took greater risk with the ball and looked to create but ultimately we were beaten by a much better team.
"I was proud of the players in the second half, we kept fighting and kept our spirit up.
"We will be very disappointed with the performance. It's the first time we've had this losing feeling for a long time but you have to learn from it and move on."
