Back to the Champions League for the first time since 2017 and what a way to start it against reigning European and La Liga Champions Real Madrid.
The ultimate test in modern-day football against the best team on the planet who have won the European Cup an incredible 14 times would allow Ange Postecoglou and his men the opportunity to really gauge where they were at in the grand scheme of things.
Having scored 29 goals domestically and conceded only two whilst winning seven out of seven, European football is always a different animal and a far more taxing one at that.
Celtic went after Real Madrid hard and fast and played the perfect game for the first 45 mins the opening games.
Well, almost.
Aggressive and positive when in possession and tenacious whilst remaining organised when out of it which was going to be inevitable for large portions of the game against such quality opposition.
In the opening seconds, the ball fell to Giakoumakis but rather than turning and shooting he instinctively played it back to Liel Abada whose effort was well saved by Real keeper Thibaut Courtois.
Over ten mins later a crossfield pass early by Jota saw Abada bearing down on goal and you wouldn’t have bet against him considering he’d netted five teams in the previous two league games but alas the moment got to him and scooped it passively into Thibaut Courtois’s arms.
Then came the big moment as Giakoumakis set up Callum McGregor and the Celtic captain looked certain to score with a venous drive but it cracked off the inside of the post and out whilst Courtois stood motionless.
Against opponents of this calibre efforts like that really need to go in but it wasn’t to be.
Karem Benzema went off injured on 30 mins but just as you were breathing a sigh of relief at seeing the back of one of the world’s best strikers on came €100 million man Eden Hazard.
Early in the second half, a powerful driven cross into the box from Josip Juranovic fell to Daizan Maeda for a glorious chance to open the scoring but he failed to divert it home and it was easily saved.
On 56 mins Real, who had threatened a few times in the first half, did open the scoring as Valverde set up Vinícius Júnior to finish with aplomb.
Less than four mins later Luka Modric – still a class act at 37 – twisted and turned in the box and finished expertly with the outside of his right boot.
Hazard tapped home the third from close range on 77 mins and by that stage in the proceedings Celtic’s race was well and truly run but thankfully it didn’t get embarrassing.
A harsh lesson and as is so often the case at this level if you don’t take your chances you tend to get punished.
But Real are the very best and there was no disgrace here. Indeed there were positive signs for more European challenges to come.
....Always A Tim! 