The Celtic faithful were on the road again in Dortmund, full of hope and optimism. But instead of finding Paradise by the Ruhr, instead it ended up as another joyless journey.
For a club so dominant at home, adventures abroad have become a chastening experience for the Parkhead support. Their seven-goal shellacking at the Westfalenstadion was remarkably the 70th time the Hoops have been beaten on foreign soil since the year 2000. Brendan Rodgers has been in charge for some of the most sobering of those bitter setbacks.
First time around his side shipped seven at both the Nou Camp and the Pard des Princes. Last year it was six as Atletico Madrid wreaked havoc at the Wanda Metropolitano. It was hoped all that humiliation had been consigned to the past as the Irishman led his team to Germany with confidence scoring after an unbeaten domestic start.
But all that excitement was crushed within 45 devastating minutes as Celtic’s brutal recent history on the continent played out on repeat. In the end, it was seeing the supports’ air of optimism go pop that was the most deflating aspect of a painful night for Rodgers.
“I’m really disappointed,” he said. “Firstly for the supporters. Two hours before the game, the noise in the stadium was amazing. And then during the game and after the game, you feel the journey that they’ve been there, and we couldn’t give them more.
“I feel for the players too, because over this last seven months, the path that we’ve been on, and we will still continue to be on that path of improvement and development, and an exciting team to play. Things went against us in the game, and before we know it, we’ve conceded five goals in the first half, so it becomes a challenge in the second half.”
The challenge now for Celtic is to pick themselves up again from their midweek mauling. First is today’s trip to Ross County but beyond that they face another huge test away to Europa League winners Atalanta.
There is certainly winnable fixtures at home too, with RB Leipzig, Club Brugge and Young Boys still to visit Celtic Park. But Rodgers knows a victory on the road against either the Italians, Dinamo Zagreb or Aston Villa would go a long way to ensuring they fulfil their qualification dreams – as well as repaying the punters his side let down in Dortmund.
“I don’t think you have to [win away to qualify], but we would want to,” he said. “We would want to have results away from home.
“I’m very conscious that supporters are getting out of work and travelling thousands of miles in every which way they can to get there. To support the team, to give the incredible support that we have.
“So I’m not just going to dismiss that we don’t need it. We actually want to get the results for the team and for the support base that are travelling and making all this commitment to go and see their team.
“We want them to be proud of their team. But in the actual, just pure numbers of it, if you win your home games then the likelihood is that you would qualify without having to win away.
“We go into every game with a positive expectation to do well. Whether that was at home or Bratislava or away at Borussia Dortmund. And like I said, when the stakes are high and the competition is fierce, sometimes you might not always go your way. So you have to accept that. But winning away from home, of course, and getting results. Everyone wants to do that.”
Tuesday’s frustration is multiplied by the fact the tournament’s new format denes Rodgers and his team the chance to settle scores back in Glasgow. He said: “I know, speaking to Nuri Sahin after the game, that that was something that they would have preferred the game to being at Celtic Park. As would I!
“But it’s not to be. When Celtic Park wants something, it brings you a lot closer to getting it. Because of the atmosphere.
“So that was the only downside of it. But we can’t have everything. We can’t have eight games and we can’t play opponents that might give us a chance.”
Celtic will have to dust themselves down before they head to Dingwall. But in fairness, Rodgers’ side never had too much bother with that before.
Even after being smacked for seven by Messi, Suarez and Neymar back in 2016, that wasn’t enough to derail Rodgers’ Invincibles from their stunning Treble charge. “You can dwell on it and go down the bitter route and start blaming everything,” said the Parkhead boss.
“You can’t say, ‘We haven’t got the players, we haven’t got this’. It doesn’t really work for me. I owned that the other night.
“I’ve had a number of these in my time here. I’ve won against big opponents in big games. We beat Chelsea in an FA Cup Final [with Leicester] and a couple of weeks later they go and win the Champions League.
“I’ve worked in big games and won big games. That’s why I have that confidence that when you do lose a game of that magnitude, it is hard and it is tough. It’s really tough for a player, especially some of the first experiences.
“But when you’ve been through it, setbacks are part of the journey. It’s also part of the ambition of where it is you want to get to. Because if you think you can get there just all plain sailing, no chance. It doesn’t happen. If we were to qualify after the games, there was always going to be some tough moments along the way.
“We had a brilliant one. Bratislava, they’ve had a tough one on this one. Three points out of six. I think it would have all taken that. But we’ll move on from the game and hopefully there’s great learning there.”