Dortmund send Celtic crashing back down to earth as Brendan’s 'next level' challenge suffers slap – 5 talking points
In football circles they call the Yellow Wall the eighth wonder of the world. Well, on Tuesday night there was a demolition job all right and it was Brendan Rodgers who was forced to wear the hard hat.
Celtic may be kings of Scotland but up against Champions League royalty of Borussia Dortmund, they were left mere serfs of Europe as Nuri Sahin’s superstars slapped Rodgers down just when he – and the whole Celtic support – was beginning to believe. 7-1 was the scoreline. Yeah, in truth it was Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain levels so ouch.
Last season’s Champions League finalists were supposed to be the opponents against which the Premiership champions could trade blow for blow. And for a while, they did just that. But then came the opening of the floodgates and suddenly Celtic were drowning.
Kasper Schmeichel pulled down Jamie Gittens just a couple of minutes in after he had rampaged through the Celtic backline. Callum McGregor got a touch but all he did was put it back in the path of Englishman Gittens. Penalty, no argument. Emre Can stepped up and belted the ball past Schmeichel for 1-0.
But then came the response. And less than two minutes later. Daizen Maeda took up the perfect position in the centre of the box and knocked the into the net from Arne Engels’ cross for 1-1.
Wow. Hold on there, though. Seconds later, Dortmund were back in front. Karim Adeyemi scored the third goal in the first 10 minutes, lashing the ball beyond Schmeichel from 18 yards after a long punt forward. Breathless stuff.
And Celtic fans were reaching for the oxygen tanks a short while later when the ball flashed across their six-yard box but Pascal Gross fluffed his lines. Julian Brandt was starting to dictate the play and he laid on a couple of more chances.
Maeda, however, was in the mood, too and had the beating of Yan Couto, driving past the full-back continually before even having a pop that went just wide. Celtic were behind yes but still had Dortmund in their sights.
Then, in a flash, Dortmund were 3-1 up. Adeyemi striking the ball into the back of the net with all the venom it’s as if he had a personal vendetta against it. Celtic could and should have done more, though. Too much space was afforded to Adeyemi and boy did he make the most of it.
Dortmund, having a fair old time of it by now, almost added a fourth but Gross’ shot from outside the box was dealt with by Schmeichel. But Celtic’s joy was shotlived. Engles fouled Adeyemi in the box and a penalty was awarded. Serhou Guirassy hammered it home and suddenly Celtic were sinking. They were screaming for the lifeboats a minute later when Adeyemi fired home with an amazing striker after Maeda had coughed up possession in the box.
Twenty minutes later and Celtic’s misplaced passing out from the back left them suffering from PTSD again, Guirassy punishing them by leathering home. Cover your eyes please as Dortmund then hit SEVEN when Auston Trusty messed up and Felix Nmecha capitalised.
5 talking points
Elite years
Rodgers had called on his side to take Celtic to the next level. They may yet do so in this Champions League. But it wasn’t evidenced in Germany, no siree. Yeah it was another dismantling that gave a sober reminder to Celtic they still have some way to go before they can return to the elite levels of the late 60s and early 70s.
Perhaps, given the disparities that exist in UEFA that’s understandable and unattainable. But Celtic can still progress in the millionaire’s playground and should they do so, that’s close to the next level stuff Rodgers was calling for. He’ll just need to hold fire on that one.
Lost in pace
When you have the terrific triumvirate of Kyogo, Kuhn and Maeda running at you, you’d better have pulled on your jetheels. Without them? Prepare for some pain. At least in Scotland. In the amphitheatre of the Champions League, it carries less weight. Especially when your opponents also travel faster than the speed of sound. This trio has helped re-energise Celtic and are such a huge part of what makes Brendan Rodgers 2:0 so impressive. But while it helps, it’s no panacea. The pace and the press is crucial but other areas of Celtic’s team needs to be fixed to properly breathe in this atmosphere.
Trusty partner?
He signed on deadline day yet didn’t get a sniff until the matchday one win over Slovan Bratislava nearly three weeks later. Auston Trusty knows what Celtic is all about now right enough. The truth is Celtic missed the guy Trusty replaced, Cameron Carter-Vickers. Had CCV been fit, would he have changed the direction of the tie? Perhaps not. But there’s no doubt the former Tottenham centre-back with his pace and power (plus huge leadership skills) would have probably minimised the damage.
BvB A-OK
Almost every time a Scottish side plays in Europe the opposition are said to be in "crisis". Yes, we’re guilty again m’lud. But this time the claim had all the longevity of a Liz Truss lettuce. Because BvB might be fifth in the Bundesliga. They might have a novice boss. They might be in transition. But they still had enough to take care of Scotland’s champions and, yeah OK, budgets come in to it. They’re a good team all right and Adeyemi was just one player who looked a cut above.
Game of two scarves
The Yellow Wall is one of the most imposing shows of strength from fans in world football. Paul Lambert says it makes Dortmund feel "unbeatable". But then along came the green and white legions and suddenly it was a decibel death match. Anywhere between four to eight thousand (we’re not sure if the Seville Calculator was doing the tallying) Celtic fans are said to have made the trip to Dortmund but no matter the number, the supporters from Scotland and the BvB ultras made it a spectacle to behold. Both sing You’ll Never Walk Alone. Heck, it was half-and-half scarf territory. Until the first whistle went.