After an impressive start to their Champions League campaign with a 5-1 win over Slovan Bratislava, Celtic were brought crashing back to reality with a humbling 7-1 defeat against Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park.
The Bundesliga giants ran riot in front of their home crowd, exposing Celtic’s defensive frailties in a game that quickly spiralled out of control for Brendan Rodgers’ men.
The atmosphere was charged from the start, and Dortmund seized the initiative early. Within the first five minutes, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens sliced through Celtic’s midfield and defence before being brought down by Kasper Schmeichel, conceding a penalty. Emre Can coolly converted from the spot to put the hosts in front.
However, Celtic responded almost immediately. Daizen Maeda, who has been in scintillating form this season, found the back of the net in the ninth minute, briefly silencing the home crowd and restoring parity.
But the celebration was short-lived. Dortmund reclaimed their lead just a minute later through Karim Adeyemi.
The German forward would prove a thorn in Celtic’s side all night, and his second goal, a thunderous strike from the edge of the box, left Schmeichel with little chance as Dortmund extended their advantage.
By the 40th minute, the game had already slipped away from Celtic. Serhou Guirassy scored Dortmund’s second penalty of the night to make it 4-1, and just before the half-time whistle, Adeyemi completed his hat-trick after dispossessing Maeda and finishing clinically into the bottom corner.
The second half lacked the frenetic pace of the first, but Dortmund were far from finished. Guirassy added his second goal with some neat footwork in the box, and substitute Felix Nmecha rounded off the scoring to make it 7-1, capping a devastating performance from the Bundesliga side.
Chris Sutton BLASTS Brendan Rodgers and Celtic Players:
Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton didn’t hold back in his criticism of Brendan Rodgers and his team following the heavy defeat. Sutton took to social media to brand Celtic “naive” for their open approach against such a formidable opponent.
The Hoops, who were outclassed from the first whistle, were criticised by Sutton for failing to adapt their tactics. He urged Rodgers to be more pragmatic in future European fixtures to avoid similar humiliations.
Speaking on social media platform X, Sutton said: “Celtic wanted to go toe to toe… good to be positive but there comes a time when you have to be a bit streetwise and understand levels.”
He continued: “Throwing lots of bodies forward when you’re 7-1 down seemed a bit naive… a bit like Madrid… way too open and ruthlessly exploited.”
The defeat leaves Celtic with much to ponder as they prepare for their next Champions League encounters.
With five group-stage matches still to play, Rodgers must find a way to tighten his side’s defensive structure if they are to stand any chance of progressing in Europe’s elite competition.