Celtic took on Paris Saint Germain at the French capital looking to boost their chances of acquiring a place in the Europa League.
Their last Champions League defeat came against Bayern Munich which meant that the Scottish champions couldn’t qualify for the knockout stages. The French giants made a sluggish start to the game conceding a goal in the 1st minute but came back strong to secure a comfortable victory over the Hoops through a brace each from Neymar Jr. and Edinson Cavani. Kylian Mbappe, Marco Veratti and Dani Alves also added their names on the scoresheet in what proved to be a night to forget for the men from Scotland.
Brendan Rodgers’ side are still third in Group B, three points ahead of Anderlecht with a game remaining against the Belgian side next month.
Let’s take a look at the performance of all the Bhoys against the Parisians.
GK: Craig Gordon – 4/10
The Scottish goalkeeper failed to keep the Paris Saint Germain attackers at bay and conceded seven goals on the night. He would be hoping for better nights in Europe.
RB: Mikael Lustig – 2/10
The Swedish defender started at right back for Celtic and was at fault for the Paris Saint Germain equaliser when Neymar Jr. left him for dead and scored with a smart finish. His night was cut short after 13 minutes due to injury.
CB: Dedryck Boyata – 3/10
The Belgian defender failed to keep up with the clever movement of the Parisians’ front three and had a troubling night in defence.
CB: Jozo Šimunović – 4/10
The defender hasn’t featured for the Hoops since their away win at Anderlecht and it showed in his performance. The 23-year-old looked rusty in the heart of the Celtic defence and his positioning was questionable, to say the least.
LB: Kieran Tierney – 4/10
The Scotsman was at fault for Paris Saint Germain’s sixth goal when he misjudged the cross which left the defence exposed. He tried to get forward and support the attack but was mostly preoccupied with Dani Alves running at him.
CDM: Scott Brown – 4/10
The veteran midfielder gave the ball away which led to the Parisians’ equaliser and was also at fault for the sixth goal. However, he regrouped at the break and showed some nice touches in the second half.
RM: James Forrest – 4/10
The Prestwick born midfielder started the game strong, making some direct runs at the Parisian defence. However, he faded as the game progressed and ultimately, was crowded out in the midfield.
CM: Callum McGregor – 4/10
The midfielder was pressed high up the pitch and struggled to make any real impact in the game. His failure to link up with Dembele made the game a very one-sided affair.
CM: Tom Rogic – 4/10
The Australian was mostly a peripheral figure in the midfield but linked up well with Scott Brown as part of a dangerous attacking move in the second half.
LM: Olivier Ntcham – 5/10
His smart presence of mind during Celtic’s first corner resulted in Moussa Dembele scoring the opener for the Bhoys. The French footballer also had his powerful shot flash just wide of the goal, midway through the first half. He was substituted with 20 minutes to go.
ST: Moussa Dembélé – 7/10
The French striker looked a goal threat right from the get-go. He scored Celtic’s only goal with an angled shot in the first minute of the match. He always worked the channels and was unfortunate not to get enough service in the attacking third.
Substitutes
RB: Nir Bitton – 3/10
The defender came on for the injured, Mikael Lustig and struggled to deal with the pace and trickery of Neymar Jr. He was one of many Celtic players who was at fault for some of the Paris Saint Germain goals.
LM: Eboue Kouassi – 2/10
He came on for Olivier Ntcham but failed to make any real impact in the game.
ST: Leigh Griffiths – 2/10
The Scotsman came on for the goalscorer, Moussa Dembele with 15 minutes to go but was unsuccessful in reducing the massive deficit.
