The wastefulness in front of goal saw Celtic settling for a 1-1 draw against Shakhtar Donetsk in their previous Champions League outing. The Hoops were desperate tonight to keep their knockout hopes alive, but a spirited display went in vain as they paid the price for Joe Hart’s ridiculous error minutes over the hour mark.
Below are the Celtic players rated in their 3-1 defeat against RB Leipzig.
Joe Hart: 4
Made some routine saves but his howler ruined the Bhoys’ night as they conceded right after VAR disallowed Dominik Szoboszlai’s goal. The veteran custodian passed it straight to Szoboszlai who set it up for unmarked Andre Silva on the edge of the penalty area.
Josip Juranovic: 6
Should have done better to stop Christopher Nkunku from finding the net midway through the first half. Had little impact with his overlapping runs. Made a number of recoveries and interceptions to help the backline.
Stephen Welsh: 6.5
Made some no-nonsense clearances, but his lack of positioning and composure remains a concern for Ange Postecoglou amid Cameron Carter-Vickers’ injury absence.
Moritz Jenz: 6.5
Won the duels deep down the pitch and was mostly spot on with his tackles and blocks. Tried to play it out from the back, but his long balls demanded more accuracy against the German giants.
Greg Taylor: 6
Played some passes into the final third. However, his crosses and final deliveries were disappointing on most occasions. Lost the majority of duels and was mostly confined to his defensive duties against Szoboszlai and Mohamed Simakan.
Callum McGregor: 6
Was struggling to dictate the tempo from his deep-lying midfield role. Was forced to leave the pitch at the backend of the first half with an injury concern. Oliver Abildgaard replaced him in the middle of the park.
Matt O’Riley: 6.5
Played his part in the build-up to Jota’s goal that brought the visitors back in the game minutes into the second half. Lost an array of duels otherwise, and also kept on getting dispossessed in the centre of the pitch. Was taken off for Sead Haksabanovic with the final quarter remaining.
Reo Hatate: 7
Lively with his runs and link-up play as a ‘number 8’. His dribbles and swift movements were causing problems in the Leipzig midfield. Made way for James McCarthy late in the game.
Filipe Jota: 8
Was productive high up the pitch as he created chances, completed the dribbles and had his efforts on target. Scored the Hoops solitary goal of the game.
Daizen Maeda: 6
His off the ball work rate was immense once again, but the Japanese ace was largely underwhelming when he had the opportunity to make it count in the attacking third. Was replaced by James Forrest with 15 minutes remaining.
Kyogo Furuhashi: 7.5
Tested the keeper once and registered the assist for Jota’s strike. Was sharp with his runs and directness upfront. Made way for Giorgos Giakoumakis late in the match.
Celtic Subs vs RB Leipzig
Oliver Abildgaard: 7
Settled in well deep down the midfield with strong tackles and challenges.
Sead Haksabanovic: 6
Tried to inject pace and flair down the flanks but failed to make any noteworthy contribution.
James Forrest: 6
The veteran wide attacker was handed rare minutes to turn things around against the odds.
Giorgos Giakoumakis: NA
Played too little to warrant a rating.
James McCarthy: NA
Played too little to warrant a rating.
