Neil Lennon called for his former team to “stop the bleeding” during the first-half collapse, but Celtic appear unable to prevent the floodgates from opening in scenes like this.
By the break, Rodgers’ side were bleeding, becoming the first English team to concede five goals in the first half in a major European match since Cwmbran Town v. Progres Bucharest in the 1997-98 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup. Ta.
It’s a sobering statistic on a somber night, but Lennon said it was all part of the learning process. Shortly thereafter, Selhou Guirassy scored the German team’s sixth goal.
Lennon struggled to watch until Dortmund’s seventh goal beat Kasper Schmeichel, but was keen to stress that the defeat was “not all the manager’s fault”.
After the match, captain Callum McGregor also said Celtic “have to learn”.
But over the past eight years, there has been little sign of improvement or learning against opponents at this level.
As the Westfalenstadion clock ticked towards the 82nd minute and the scoreboard read 7-1, all of Celtic’s players were in Dortmund’s half when the ball was turned over.
The result saw the home side’s relentless race easily cleared once again, but only Schmeichel’s spike prevented an eighth goal.
Such actions add fuel to the criticism of naivety that will befall Mr. Rogers.
In his two years as Celtic manager, they are 0-7 against Barcelona, 5-0 at home against Paris Saint-Germain, 7-1 away in France and 6 games against Atletico Madrid last season. are recorded.
The Celtic manager is the only manager to have watched his team concede seven goals in the Champions League more than once. Tuesday was the third occasion.
Next up is a match against last season’s Europa League winners Atalanta, with the Scottish champions at risk of being battered once again against another hot-tempered team that specializes in a man-to-man approach.
Learn more about Nick McPheat here.
