This was supposed to be a Celtic team better equipped to compete at the top level in Europe.
This was supposed to be a Dortmund team that wasn’t getting near the heights of the side that reached last season’s Champions League Final and only lost out to the mighty Real Madrid. Yet the gulf looked embarrassingly big as Brendan Rodgers‘ saw his plan ripped up and thrown in his face before 45 minutes were even up with the shell shocked Premiership champions 5-1 down.
The joy of Daizen Maeda’s quickfire equaliser was soon extinguished as a familiar tale against the big guns away from home in this competition played out. And there was to be no mercy from Nuri Sahin’s team. The Turk accused Rodgers of “wrecking” his Liverpool loan spell during his playing days and wreaked terrible revenge in front of a Yellow Wall hungry for more goals as BVB refused to take their foot off the gas.
Record Sport looks at how the world’s press reacted to a painful night for the best our league has to offer.
Bild (Germany)
German tabloid Bild couldn’t ignore the “small shadow” of hat-trick hero Karim Adeyemi’s injury. They said: “Borussia Dortmund celebrates a goal fest, rolling over Celtic Glasgow 7:1 in front of 81,365 spectators in the sold-out Signal Iduna Park. The home team played like one piece, especially in the first half. The blemish of the interim equaliser did not change that, and it did not impress the Black and Yellows in the slightest.
For 45 minutes, Nuri Şahin’s boys remained greedy, kept stepping on the gas and wanted more. Karim Adeyemi in particular was unstoppable for the overwhelmed Scots. The fact that the three-goal scorer had to leave the field injured shortly after the break cast a small shadow. And of course BVB did not keep up the pace as high after the break. Nevertheless, the Bundesliga team always had everything under control – and at least they were able to score two more goals. Thanks to this big win, Borussia are at least at the top of the table until tomorrow.”
Kicker (Germany)
Rival publication Kicker talked up Celtic;s record coming into this one: “A memorable evening in Dortmund comes to an end: BVB rolls over the Scottish champions, who had not lost a game since April. Dortmund’s hero and tragic figure is undoubtedly Adeyemi, who scored three times in the first half and then had to leave injured. In the second half, BVB slowed down considerably, but was still able to score twice more.”
Aachener Zeitung (Germany)
It was a night up there with last season’s Champions League heroics according to Aachener Zeitung: “Last season, BVB celebrated great Champions League evenings against Paris Saint-Germain, Atlético Madrid and PSV Eindhoven on the way to the final. And the home premiere of the new Champions League season continued with full-throttle football. Six goals in the first half and an extremely exhilarating BVB with an outstanding Adeyemi repeatedly brought the spectators to their feet.
“The last time BVB scored five goals in the first half was on November 22, 2016, in the 8:4 win against Legia Warsaw in the Champions League. The Champions League finalists were accordingly given a standing ovation. But questions must be asked about coach Rodgers. He did not change in the second half as BVB strolled through.”
Marca (Spain)
Marca recognised how little there was Celtic could do: “The German team ran over a Scottish team that could do nothing against the onslaught of the home team , which was a steamroller. Borussia Dortmund , which hit Celtic hard, who were unable to stop the constant attacks in the offensive zone from a Bavarian team unleashed in attack.”
L’Equipe (France)
In France, the captured the full force of what Celtic were hit with perfectly: “Led by an extraordinary Adeyemi (3 goals and a penalty obtained) in the first period, Dortmund swept aside a Celtic team that was too tender and punished for its numerous errors on the restart. Borussia is therefore full after two matches while Celtic takes a big slap.”