Celtic fell to a 2-0 defeat in their UEFA Champions League opener to Feyenoord on Tuesday evening.
It was an action-packed encounter that saw the Hoops capitulate in the second half after what had been an even first period. The Dutch champions netted on the brink of half time through Calvin Stengs before we saw new signings Gustaf Lagerbielke and Odin Thiago Holm sent off.
Joe Hart saved a penalty amid the chaos before Alireza Jahanbakhsh sealed the win for the hosts.
It was a sobering start to a Champions League campaign that may be a tall order for this Brendan Rodgers side. Here’s what we learned at De Kuip.
Same old mistakes
Once again, we saw daft errors cost us at the top level of European football. Hart should have done better with Stengs’ free-kick, even if he did redeem himself later with the penalty save.
Celtic were still firmly in the game when Lagerbielke gave away a daft penalty. While the award may have been a little soft, it was still a needless action with Hart coming to gather the ball. The Swede being shown a second yellow card just compounded matters.
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Holm’s red was even more daft and, in truth, killed off any chance of a positive result even at 1-0.
Hart spoke in the lead-up to the game about the need to be good in both boxes. Celtic weren’t ruthless enough when they got their chances and gifted the hosts good moments at the other end.
Palma verdict
Luis Palma was put in by Rodgers for his first start for the club. He played the best part of an hour before being replaced by Hyunjun Yang.
His overall performance was alright. He clearly has talent and was keen to get involved, even if the majority of his play saw him look to run into a crowded middle of the park.
Palma wants to take corners and free-kicks and got into a couple of good shooting areas. However, like his teammates, his efforts for often tame.
Group picture
Lazio and Atletico Madrid drew 1-1 in the other Group E fixture. That makes our matchday two clash against Lazio a must-not-lose already. In truth, we probably have to be looking to win that one.
The good news is that we may be in a better place come that fixture on October 4. Cameron Carter-Vickers and Nat Phillips could both be back while the likes of Hatate, Palma and Paulo Bernardo may be bigger contributors then.
Tonight was a disappointing start to our group campaign. But it is just one game. We’ll all be looking for a reaction against Livingston on Saturday.
In other news, former Celtic hero continues bright start to managerial career