In a hotly anticipated match in Saxony, Celtic fell to a 3-1 defeat at the hands of RB Leipzig.
A combination of missed chances, individual errors and sheer quality from the opposition cost the Hoops in a disappointing night in Germany.
Here’s how the players rated.
Joe Hart – 5/10
He made a number of important saves, claims and the like although it was Joe Hart’s error which led to RB Leipzig regaining their lead in the second half. At Champions League level, you simply cannot make these kind of mistakes.
Josip Juranovic – 6/10
The Croatian wasn’t noticeably poor in his performance yet didn’t particularly stand out either. Juranovic got down the right hand side well at times and wasn’t embarrassed defensively.
Stephen Welsh – 7/10
After some criticism off the back of his recent performances, Stephen Welsh stood firm this evening and had an assured display at the heart of the Celtic defence. The 22 year old won a number of headers and was confident on the ball. Nevertheless, Hoops fans will be looking forward to the return of Cameron Carter-Vickers, whenever that may be.
Moritz Jenz – 6/10
Moritz Jenz didn’t do much wrong in his homeland defensively although on the ball, the German could’ve been a bit more composed. The Lorient loanee will now look ahead to Saturday after playing 90 minutes for the third time in a row in the Champions League for Celtic.
Greg Taylor – 6/10
The Scottish left back flashed quite a few balls into the Leipzig box yet they were of no avail. Going back defensively, Taylor didn’t quite get close enough to architect of the hosts’ third goal, Mohamed Simakan, however other than this, the 24 year old didn’t do much else wrong.
Callum McGregor – N/A
It is hard to rate Callum McGregor’s performance as he played only 37 minutes. In that time, though, the Celtic captain was arguably at fault for Leipzig’s opener after his heavy touch gave Andre Silva the chance to kick-start a counter attack. As mentioned, McGregor did come off injured in the first half and rather worryingly for the Hoops, Ange Postecoglou admitted post-match that it “doesn’t look good” for the 29 year old.
Reo Hatate – 7/10
Reo Hatate played a significant part in Celtic’s equaliser, quickly firing through for Kyogo first-time who, in turn, set up Jota. Moreover, the Japanese didn’t seem to put a foot wrong in midfield and was respectable in his performance.
Matt O’Riley – 5/10
It wasn’t Matt O’Riley’s greatest display in a Celtic shirt this evening. The Dane failed to get into the game at all and was muted before coming off with a quarter with an hour to go.
Daizen Maeda – 5/10
Daizen Maeda started on the right wing for Celtic this evening however the Japanese didn’t play particularly well. Maeda failed to control a number of balls and didn’t really cause RB Leipzig’s backline any problems.
Kyogo – 7/10
Celtic’s talisman was ever-lively this evening and could’ve easily had his name on the scoresheet, racking up quite a few efforts on goal. Nonetheless, Kyogo still significantly contributed, keeping his composure to amply put it on a plate for Jota two minutes after the restart.
Jota – 7/10
Although quiet in the early stages, Jota grew into the match as it went on and got his first Champions League goal in the second half, clinically sweeping home with his left foot after Kyogo set him up. Along with the striker, the Portuguese is one of the key cogs for the Hoops in attack and proved this once more tonight.
Celtic Substitutes
Oliver Abildgaard replaced Callum McGregor in the first half and the Dane clearly disclosed his physical presence. He won a number of aerial balls and drove forward at times although Abildgaard did have some clumsy moments in the engine room.
Ange Postecoglou made four alterations during the match along with the one that saw Abildgaard come on.
Wing duo Sead Haksabanovic and James Forrest replaced Maeda and O’Riley with 15 to play. Haksabanovic, as he always seems to be in his cameos, was vivacious with the only notable involvement Forrest had being a complete miscue of a shot on the edge of the box.
Then on the 82nd minute, countrymen Kyogo and Hatate made way for Giorgos Giakoumakis and James McCarthy respectively although the Greek and Irishman didn’t get a chance to do much.
After tonight’s loss, Celtic are on the road yet again on Saturday.
Perth is the destination for Ange Postecoglou and his players as they take on St. Johnstone with the starting eleven for said game undoubtedly being a palatial talking point in the lead up.
Jenz was criminal.