Champions League campaign over, Europa League hopes hang by a thread. Celtic continue to learn only hard lessons against a higher level of opposition than they have ever faced at home.
No one could reasonably argue that Ange Postecoglou’s side were outplayed, but the most ruthless team at either end of the pitch won. With Celtic attacking much more hoping than expecting, a feeling grew that Leipzig would show them how it’s done.
The recently maligned Timo Werner delivered the initial blow to those in green and white. Substitute Emil Forsberg added shine to Leipzig’s win. Celtic had to ponder a seventh straight home defeat in the Champions League group stage.
“I want the players to be rewarded for their efforts,” Postecoglou said. “I think we are on the verge of becoming a very good team at this level. This process cannot be accelerated.
No one attended this game thinking they would witness anything approaching the mundane. Last week’s clash in Germany, which Leipzig won 3-1, was chaotically open. The sense of a rollercoaster ride was approved seconds after kick-off, as Daizen Maeda sent Reo Hatate’s cross just over the bar. Leipzig responded via Dominik Szoboszlai, who flew just wide.
Celtic’s desire to play on the front foot here was partly dictated by the fact that they had few options. Oliver Abildgaard, a defensive midfielder signed for such occasions, was not deemed fit enough to start. Matt O’Riley and Hatate, who are both considerably more effective in the final third than in the first third, had to play as anchors. Leipzig spent the early stages trying to expose Celtic’s forward-thinking instincts.
Instead, Celtic moved closer to a first goal. O’Riley fired a shot against a post from 20 yards out, Greg Taylor’s attempt from the rebound bouncing off the crossbar. With Kyogo Furuhashi narrowly heading, Celtic Park believed this Champions League campaign had a pulse. These will be costly times of generosity, however. “Missed opportunities is the story of our campaign so far,” Postecoglou said. “It’s the hardest part of the game. It’s a matter of experience and composure at this level.
Celtic – already minus the influential Jota and his captain, Callum McGregor, injured – saw Liel Abada limp before the interval. Leipzig almost rubbed salt into the wound; Joe Hart made a nice save to counter Chelsea-bound Christopher Nkunku.
Hart was again called into action within five minutes of the restart. After a spell in which Celtic repeatedly failed to clear their lines, the exceptional Amandou Haidara sent a pass to Willi Orban. Hart smothered the centre-back’s weak drive.
The news that Shakhtar Donetsk had taken the lead against Real Madrid seemed to fuel the atmosphere. Three points, desirable before a ball was kicked against Leipzig, suddenly felt a necessity.
Szoboszlai almost piled agony. In a bizarre, slow-mo moment after being sent through on goal, he slipped on his back and continued to hold his head as though injured. Celtic cleared the danger as Szoboszlai rose to his feet with a red face.
Postecoglou rolled the dice. Furuhashi and Hatate, usually key players, were among the three retirees. The arrival of Giorgos Giakoumakis suggested a more direct approach. This, at a time when Leipzig were starting to tighten their grip on the game. Mohamed Simakan was next to endanger Hart’s goal, with a shot that flew high and wide from the goalkeeper’s post.
Hart breathed a sigh of relief after VAR ruled he hadn’t knocked down Nkunku inside the penalty area. The striker’s pace in landing almost nothing more than a hopeful pass was all to be seen, but he was looking for the kick long before he hit the turf.
The brief flurry of controversy soon pales into insignificance. Werner, who had been relatively quiet until then, hit a header past Hart following a reduction from the line by Andre Silva. It was a majestic goal.
O’Riley fired a shot that stung Janis Blaswich’s palms. Giakoumakis ate his lines at the far post. Enter Forsberg, who made no mistake in concluding a sweeping counterattack. Werner had become a designer. Yet another moment of brilliance summarizing the difference between two camps with different aspirations.