Celtic suffered a humiliating 7-1 loss against Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park on Tuesday night in the Champions League.
The Bhoys went into the game with full confidence, having won nine games on the trot in all competitions. They won their first game in the Champions League, and one cannot blame the players for being so confident ahead of the game.
However, as the game progressed, the same old problems unfolded. Celtic were too naive, and they didn’t learn their lessons from previous big defeats.
They were far too open, and their defence were severely exposed by Dortmund and the result could have been anything. Celtic pulled one back through Daizen Maeda, but they lacked composure at the back, and there was no desire from the Bhoys to snuff out opponents.
Tom English, the highly respected BBC Sports journalist, described it as a “horror show”, adding that it is “utterly mortifying”.
He wrote on X (1 October): “We’re now spelling the scoreline. Another horror show for Brendan Rodgers in the Champions League. Utterly mortifying.”
Very very poor from Celtic
While no one expected Celtic to pick up a win away from Parkhead against the German giants, the fans hoped that it would be a tight game.
The new format comes as a blessing for clubs like Celtic, but the manner of defeats like these puts doubts in the minds of the players and the fans. It gives the feeling that nothing will change and that Celtic will exit from the group stage once again.
We’re now spelling the scoreline. Another horror show for Brendan Rodgers in the Champions League. Utterly mortifying
— Tom English (@TEnglishSport) October 1, 2024
Dortmund were brilliant but Celtic were very poor. They committed so many errors that the scoreline could have easily crossed double-digit figures. While some of the goals were outstanding, in most cases, Celtic players were all over the place.
Julian Brandt was given acres of space to dictate the tempo of the game. There was no attempt to close him down, to make life difficult for Dortmund, and once again, Rodgers’ lack of tactical nous in European games has been brutally exposed.
