Celtic winger Jota has opened up on the brilliant reception Ange Postecoglou’s squad received after Tuesday night’s defeat against Real Madrid.
The Hoops suffered a disappointing 3-0 loss to open their Champions League group stage campaign, facing the current holders of the competition.
However, it was a night that the Bhoys could be proud of after putting in a spirited performance and going toe-to-toe with one of the best sides in the world.
Ange Postecoglou will still be frustrated at not getting anything from the game. But, the Celtic support made it clear that they were proud of his side’s performance on the night.
In the aftermath of the 3-0 defeat, the Parkhead faithful showed their appreciation for the 57-year-old and his players, singing in full voice as the squad took a lap of the pitch to clap the support.
Speaking in the aftermath of the game, Celtic winger Jota stated that the support of those inside Parkhead on the night was the prime example as to why it is such a special football club.
He said [Daily Record]: “It speaks loudly about Celtic and what this football club is. I’m just grateful to belong to this club. The support from the fans from every minute of this game shows that it is amazing.
“We are just grateful to have this support from everyone, and the one thing we can promise them is that we will work hard every day to try to deliver them results.”
It isn’t just the fan base who have taken the positives from Tuesday night, and whilst the Portuguese winger recognises that he admitted the squad are now keen to learn from their mistakes going forward.
He said: “This is a Celtic team, we always want to win, of course, but we know that in the Champions League, there are very difficult games. Real Madrid is a top, top team, one of the best in the world, so now I think we just have to learn from our mistakes and go on to the next one.
“Well, we knew that we had to have personality inside the pitch, we needed to remain humble and just to play our game, and that’s what we tried to do. We know that we had our chances, we didn’t score, and we know that when these teams have their chances, they take them, and that’s it. Next time, we just need to take ours.”
“I just can’t wait until the next one to get better and to get better results. We’ll take confidence; we work hard every day to play against these teams; this is our aim – so, we are just going to keep on working hard and try to get better results.”
Players like Jota have helped take Celtic to the next level.
It is fair to say that having a player like Jota currently at the club has helped take Ange Postecoglou’s side to the next level.
The 23-year-old winger possesses incredible ability, and there is no doubting that he can reach the top level one day. With Celtic, he is beginning to showcase that in the Champions League.
Of course, at the same time, it is great to see that Jota is grateful to be at a club like Celtic, who have helped rejuvenate and kick start his career after a disappointing few years.
Now, the former Benfica man will be looking to show the rest of Europe that he can continue to perform at Champions League level on a regular basis.
Should we hope to earn success in this group, I am certain that Jota will be a key contributor in doing so for Ange Postecoglou’s side.
In other news, “We can learn a lot” – Celtic midfielder reflects on what the squad can take from UCL outing.
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