Celtic’s European dream, or lack of, is lastly over as Ange Postecoglou’s males bailed out of the Champions League in torturous style.
This has not been a superb marketing campaign on the continent for both Scottish membership, however the Hoops can no less than take consolation that it’s their rivals and never they, who will go down because the worst group in group stage historical past.
That stated, their defeat to Real Madrid on Wednesday night was a battering and one which summed up how Celtic and Rangers have fared in Europe this time period; a leaky backline and an absence of targets.
A 5-1 rating line was totally merited for the hosts in midweek, with three penalties awarded in the course of the course of the sport. One of these was missed by Josip Juranovic however he was amongst a number of Bhoys who failed to carry out within the Spanish capital.
One of the chief amongst them was Kyogo Furuhashi, who badly let his supervisor down on the evening. The Japanese striker has endured a tough week, maybe surprisingly being left out of Japan’s World Cup squad and it acquired no higher for him contained in the Bernabeu.
He was given a weird yellow card for an incident with Real defender Eder Militao whereas his ending abandoned him once more.
So typically ruthless within the Premiership, his type in Europe has been decidedly toothless.
He failed to rating within the Champions League this time period and his only goals in continental motion got here within the Europa League once more with Ferencvaros at first of final time period.
For a person with 29 goals in his Hoops profession, it’s puzzling that he can’t discover the additional high quality in opposition to sterner opposition.
Jota has beforehand described the Japanese ahead’s motion as “world-class” and that it might. His ending on the elite stage, nevertheless, is something however.
As Kyogo toiled and finally failed to have an effect in Spain, he managed fewer touches (12) and passes (7) than goalkeeper Joe Hart (31 & 14).
Typically for the competitors, he missed a gilt-edged probability he ought to have scored too.
It was an all-round poor night for the ahead who additionally misplaced 100% of his bodily duels all through his 62 minutes of the competition.
Kyogo has largely been wonderful in Celtic colors however there may be now a sense that if they’re to ever go deeper in Europe’s elite competitors, they may want somebody higher, somebody with a meaner streak contained in the opposition’s half.
Giorgos Giakoumakis has already achieved one thing his Japanese colleague hasn’t, a aim within the aforementioned competitors, so maybe he’s the place they want to flip to sooner or later.