Celtic duo Moritz Jenz and Joe Hart after the 1-1 draw with Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League
Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton has criticised the Hoops’ ‘bang average’ finishing in the 1-1 draw at home to Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League.
The Lowdown: Celtic finish bottom of group
Ange Postecoglou’s side hosted the Ukrainian outfit on Tuesday evening, knowing that victory was essential if they were to have a chance of qualifying for the Europa League.
In what was a frenetic contest, Giorgos Giakoumakis opened the scoring for Celtic before half-time, only for Mykhaylo Mudryk to equalise after the break.
The result means the Hoops will finish bottom of Group F regardless of what happens on matchday six, in what has to be considered a big disappointment.
The Latest: Sutton critical of finishing
Taking to Twitter after the game, Sutton bemoaned some of the finishing on show from Celtic, as endless chances came and went:
“Well done to Shakhtar Donetsk. Celtic out of Europe. Missed opportunities did for Celtic in the Champions League this season. Some good performances. Good chances created but bang average finishing. But I like what Ange Postecoglou is building.”
The Verdict: A harsh lesson
Celtic may be the kings of the Scottish Premiership currently but this Champions League group stage has been a sobering reminder of the jump up in quality in Europe.
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Such a lack of ruthlessness simply isn’t good enough when you come up against teams who will punish you at the other end, and that has summed up the Hoops’ European campaign.
There have been some reasonable performances in the group stages, but when the crunch moments have arrived, Postecoglou’s men ultimately haven’t been good enough. They will learn from it and hopefully come back stronger next season.
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