Celtic battled to a well-earned 1-1 draw away to Borussia Monchengladbach to pick up their second Group C point in the Champions League.
The Bhoys recovered after falling behind to Lars Stindl's first-half strike, thanks to a Moussa Dembele penalty that came after Julian Korb was shown a straight red.
Callum McGregor had a big chance to win the match late on, but the 10 men of Gladbach held on to remain two points above their opponents in the standings with just two games left to play.
Relive how the 90 minutes of action unfolded with Sports Mole's live text coverage below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Champions League group-stage meeting between Borussia Monchengladbach and Celtic at Borussia-Park. The Bhoys lost the reverse meeting 2-0 a fortnight ago to leave their hopes of progression in UEFA's showpiece competition hanging by a thread, requiring a victory tonight to have any sort of chance of making it into the last-16 stage.
The Foals dominated that clash in Glasgow 13 days ago, scoring twice in the second half to earn a deserved victory which helped them climb above their opponents into third place. We are now into the second half of the group stage, meaning that there will be permutations aplenty with each game, though for Gladbach and Celtic right now it is a case of keeping in touch with Manchester City in second place.
At the start of play this evening, Celtic sit bottom of Group C and Gladbach are two points better off in third place. There is a tussle between top-two sides Barcelona and Man City elsewhere, with victory for the Catalan giants - the tournament favourites - enough to see them go through as group winners, but defeat for the Citizens leaves the door wide open for one of the other sides to pounce in the race to land that second qualifying berth.
TEAM NEWS!
GLADBACH XI: Sommer, Vestergaard, Strobl, Kramer, Hazard, Stindl, Wendt, Johnson, Korb, Hahn, Elvedi
CELTIC XI: Gordon, Gamboa, Lustig, Sviatchenko, Izaguirre, Brown, Armstrong, Forrest, Rogic, Sinclair, Dembele
Starting with a look at the visiting side, then, and manager Brendan Rodgers has made just the one change from Saturday's 1-0 win over Aberdeen. Christian Gamboa is the player to come in at full-back, as expected, with Jozo Simunovic picking up an injury which keeps him out of the squad altogether. With Kolo Toure picking up an injury of his own, Mikael Lustig will shift to centre-back to make room for Gamboa on the right.
Tom Rogic scored the winner in that Scottish Premiership tie against Aberdeen three days ago, and he retains his place this evening just off lone striker Moussa Dembele in what appears to be a 4-2-3-1 formation for the visitors. Stuart Armstrong is once again given the nod in central midfield alongside skipper Scott Brown, while Scott Sinclair and James Forrest will take up wide positions to provide some support for Dembele from either flank.
Nir Bitton had an absolute mare in that reverse tie with Gladbach, regularly giving away possession in midfield, meaning that he is overlooked for this fourth group-stage outing. Toure was the other to cost his side in the 2-0 reverse, being at fault for both of the goals, while Kieran Tierney is the other to miss out from a fortnight ago due to an injury problem. In Dembele and Sinclair the Hoops have two in-form players, scoring 15 in 22 and nine in 18 respectively so far this term.
Switching focus to the home side now, I make it two changes from the goalless draw against Frankfurt four days ago - Thorgan Hazard and Tobias Strobl both recovering from injury in time to feature tonight. Manager Andre Schubert favours a three-at-the-back system but reverted to more of a flat-back four in the reverse tie, which worked perfectly - so much so that he has seemingly gone with the same formation for this latest tussle.
The return of Hazard in particular for Gladbach is huge, but they are still without another of their star men in Raffael and also Chelsea loanee Andreas Christensen - all three of whom missed the original tie. Defenders Mamadou Doucore and Marvin Schulz, plus forward Josip Drmic, have all been back in training this week after missing the Frankfurt game, though each of them miss out on selection this evening.
It gets even worse for manager Schubert, though, because he has also had to make do without the services of Ibrahima Traore and Alvaro Dominguez of late. That said, Gladbach performed superbly without a string of key players two weeks ago and they have pretty much been strengthened this time around thanks to the return from injury of Hazard - the brother of Chelsea ace Eden.
BENCH WATCH!
GLADBACH SUBS: Sippel, Herrmann, Dahoud, Raffael, Schulz, Hofmann, Jantschke
CELTIC SUBS: Bitton, Ciftci, Boyata, de Vries, Roberts, McGregor, Henderson
Schubert having to make do without a few of his squad players this evening, then, but it does appear as though he will go with four at the back in a 4-1-3-2 formation. Strobl, a key performer in the 2-0 win in Glasgow, will slot into the heart of defence and Christoph Kramer will be tasked with protecting the back four. Oscar Wendt and Fabian Johnson are the wide attacking players, flanking Andre Han and Hazard in a system designed to really get at the opposition defence.
Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers makes just the one change to his side this evening, bringing in Christian Gamboa in defence for the injured Jozo Simunovic. That means a slight tweak in the backline, with Mikael Lustig shifting across, but all focus this evening has got to be on scoring goals. In Dembele and Sinclair they have two players who certainly know how to find the net, scoring 15 in 22 and nine in 18 respectively so far this term.
Another big night in Group C this evening, then, but while all eyes may be on the mouthwatering clash between Man City and Barcelona at the Etihad Stadium, these two sides are waiting in the wings to pounce. Ideally, as far as Gladbach and Celtic are concerned, Barcelona will pick up three more points and wrap things up at the top - not only meaning a blow for the Citizens' hopes but also the chance of a slightly weaker side being fielded across the remaining two matches.
It is Gladbach who are currently in the stronger position of the two, thanks to that victory in Glasgow last time out which lifted them to within a point of City. The Foals had lost their opening two matches in Group C, falling heavily to the Citizens and also being edged out by Barcelona in their only home match so far, which appeared to leave them in a straight knockout with Celtic for a third-place finish and thus a place in the Europa League post-Christmas - not ideal, granted, but certainly better than nothing.
Victory over Celtic ended the Hoops' 21-match unbeaten run on home soil and know leaves them right on City's heels. A draw tonight will not likely be enough to overhaul the Citizens, but those two sides do face off here in a few weeks' time in what could be a massive tie. It is worth remembering that City will have played Barcelona both home and away by that point, however, while Gladbach must still take on the tournament favourites away from home in their final outing.
Schubert's men are not fairing quite so well domestically, however, as they have won just three of their opening nine games and are already five points adrift of the top four with plenty of sides to overtake. That run includes no wins in their last four now following Friday's latest goalless draw at home to Frankfurt, and it is also four games since they last found the net in the Bundesliga.
That rather dismal form belies the performance we saw from Gladbach at Celtic Park when remaining strong defensively and picking off their opponents at will to claim a well-deserved win. The German outfit have been without arguably three of their best players for large parts of the term, though, and the return of one of those key men in Hazard may well spark an upturn in fortunes when they head to fourth-placed Hertha Berlin on Friday - another massive fixture.
DID YOU KNOW? Borussia Monchengladbach have only won one of their previous four Champions League group-stage matches on home soil. That came against Europa League experts Sevilla almost exactly 12 months ago, but they did end a previously winless away run last time out at Celtic Park and also pushed Barcelona all the way here in their last home match when taking the lead against the competition heavyweights.
Following on from that stat about Gladbach's home struggles in the competition, winning only one of their previous four at Borussia-Park, in each of those games both sides have found the net. That could set us up for an entertaining contest this evening, with both teams reluctant to settle for a draw knowing that it will do neither of their hopes all that much good in the long run if they are to catch - and indeed overtake - Man City in second.
Celtic very much with it all to do heading into this match, sitting bottom of Group C and some three points off Man City. It is not an insurmountable margin - indeed, they could end the evening level on points with the Citizens - but the Hoops face two tough tests in their remaining fixtures after this one with Barcelona and City still to come. Rodgers will be taking it one game at a time, knowing that defeat today and it is all over.
All over not just in terms of their hopes of reaching the last-16, but also waving goodbye to the safety net that the Europa League offers. Gladbach will move five points ahead of the Hoops if they win tonight, which will leave the Hoops merely focusing on a domestic campaign that already appears to be going the same way as in recent years. Rodgers's men beat Rangers a few days on from that group-stage defeat at Celtic Park to reach the Scottish League Cup semis, while also winning both league games since to move nine points clear with a game in hand to come.
Celtic have kicked off their league campaign with a 10-match unbeaten run, dropping points just once all term, but there is no denying that Rodgers wanted a shot at progressing in Europe. Winning the title, and indeed one of the domestic cups, is the absolute bare minimum as the Hoops' boss. Now the ex-Liverpool coach has to galvanise his players and ensure that they put in a much improved performance tonight compared to 13 days ago.
In terms of their European prospects, Celtic have already faced a marathon up to this stage in proceedings. The Bhoys overcome an embarrassing first-leg defeat at the hands of Lincoln Red Imps to make it through the early qualifying round, while also beating Astana and Hapoel Be'er Sheva over two legs. A 7-0 thrashing to Barcelona followed before a battling 2-2 draw against Man City - one point being a decent enough return from those games but the nine goals shipped a record across the two opening group games.
With kickoff now a little over 10 minutes away at Borussia-Park, let us turn attention to some pre-match thoughts from both camps.
Brendan Rodgers: "We go into every game in the hope that we can win. You have to. The next three games are all tough but one thing you learn in in football is that the impossible can become the possible. Realistically, we'll go in as underdogs and the only way we can challenge that is to put in the maximum effort that we can and play tactically and with concentration to the highest level. The game against Gladbach at home was disappointing because we didn't play out of our shape. It was the least effective that we've played."
Andre Schubert: "It was said that after they almost beat Manchester City that they had to regard Gladbach as the weakest opponent of the group but in the first leg their fans were relatively restless because they realised that their team did not find any real openings against us. Everyone knows that it is a difficult, but also a beautiful task, which is imminent. I do not have to motivate anyone. The players are all very concentrated and everyone knows how important this game is."
"The impossible can become the possible", says Rodgers, who knows full well that his side face an almighty task if they are to make the last 16. A place in the Europa League is the more realistic target at this stage, even if the gap on Man City is still just the three points, but anything less than victory tonight and even that becomes very unlikely. The Ulsterman was particularly disappointed by the display two weeks ago, with a vast improvement needed tonight.
Schubert claims that he does not need to motivate his players, meanwhile, having essentially already been written-off alongside Celtic prior to a ball being kicked. The heavy defeat to Man City in the rearranged opening match did little to alter those initial thoughts of many, but they performed well against Barcelona here and put their domestic woes behind them when brushing aside the Bhoys in their last outing in this competition.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS! That clash at Celtic Park two weeks ago was the first ever competitive meeting between these two sides; the Foals securing the points through second-half goals from Lars Stindl and Andre Hahn in that one. Group C is not over quite yet as we prepare for this fourth round of fixtures, but Celtic and Gladbach both require a favour from Barcelona at the Etihad Stadium - updates from that one throughout the night.
Both sets of players are now out on the field of play, with kickoff in Germany just a few minutes away now. Just a quick reminder of the teams - Celtic making one change from last time out and reshuffling their defensive set-up, while Gladbach go with the two changes from their goalless draw against Frankfurt last time out, including the massive return of Hazard. Raffael is only fit enough for a place on the bench.
Super atmosphere inside Borussia-Park as the Champions League anthem is belted out. Around 54,000 fans inside this impressive ground, including 2,500 from Scotland. As many as 6,000 made the journey over, apparently, but tickets proved hard to get and they will have to watch it in the many pubs around the city. Kickoff in this key matchday four fixture is now just moments away...
KICKOFF! Celtic get us under way at Borussia-Park, where they key will be to slowly settle before grabbing a goal and holding on. Easier said than done, of course, as Borussia Monchengladbach themselves seem really up for this one in the early stages.
Celtic concede a free kick inside the opening couple of minutes which Hazard swings into a promising position, but two visiting players get their heads to the ball. A shot is then blasted well over the bar, before the hosts attacked again and won a corner.
Hazard swings in this latest set piece, which causes a little panic at the back for Celtic. A call for handball from some but the referee was having none of it. Gladbach looking some composes on the ball, with Hazard in particular a real threat.
Another piece of tricky Hazard play leads to Celtic conceding another corner, which again is aimed towards the front-post area - something the visitors have clearly targeted. Vestergaard meets it but can only glance wide for a dominant home side.
Schubert will be delighted by how the opening nine minutes or so of this match have panned out; the Foals completely dictating the tempo of things and getting Hazard on the ball on a few occasions, but Gordon yet to be tested.
The handball appeal from five minutes ago has just been replayed, but it only goes to show that the officials got the call spot on - no penalty. The ball did pop-up and hit Armstrong on the arm, yet it would have been extremely harsh had it been given.
Complete domination from the visitors now, as they continue to pass the ball around with ease. Celtic are trying to settle into the game a little over the past minute or so but they are far too sloppy in possession.
Still no shots on target for the hosts despite this dominant start, but Schubert will still be happy enough. Four games without a league goal, mind, so the longer this goes on the more concerned the home fans may become.
Some sloppy Lustig play allows Gladbach to again get bodies into the box, but the ball is cleared away at the second attempt. The corner is once more headed clear - Gladbach's fourth of the match following by again coming to nothing.
Celtic showing the odd sign now that they are slowly beginning to work their way into things. That came after a strong spell from the hosts, which culminated in Hazard firing over the bar for the second time tonight.
SAVE! Gladbach finally turn their dominance into something more tangible, as Stindl fires away a shot for Gordon to keep out. Hahn then met the follow-up but could only lash the ball wide. Celtic need to step things up - and fast!
OFF THE POST! Well from absolutely nowhere, Celtic come within inches of taking the lead. Sinclair picked up a loose ball just outside the opposition box and curled it towards goal, with the post coming to the hosts' rescue.
So just when Gladbach had stepped things up another gear and tested Gordon, Celtic go up the other end with the best attempt of the match so far. Superb atmosphere inside Borussia-Park still, but we await the first goal.
The Hoops appear to have seen out that wave of Gladbach pressure for now and they can slowly start to put their attacking stamp on the game. Had that Sinclair goal gone in they would have been in dreamland - a great attempt that deserved better.
Rogic putting the hosts under some pressure but the flag was raised on the far side. Up the other end, Hazard is given time but yet again puts his foot through the ball and sends it a good three or four yards over the bar.
Not a great deal of action in the opening third of the match - one Stindl attempt on goal, which Gordon did well to keep out, and a Sinclair attempt that cannoned back off the post. Certainly the German outfit who look the brighter, though.
GOAL! BORUSSIA MONCHENGLADBACH 1-0 CELTIC (LARS STINDL)
Gladbach have the breakthrough; a goal that was created down the right through dangerman Hazard. The Belgian was allowed to get a cross into the box by Izaguirre, where Stindl was waiting right on the penalty spot to send a right-footed volley past Gordon.
As things stand, with Man City trailing to Barcelona elsewhere in Group C, Gladbach occupy one of those coveted top-two spots. Things looking far more bleak from a Celtic perspective, however, as they are down and out and in desperate need of a goal or two.
The shot count piling up for Gladbach now, but still just the two on target despite their dominance - one kept out by Gordon and one being volleyed home by Stindl. Celtic step things up, though, with Dembele laying off Forrest who is brought down inside the box - no pen, says the ref.
That was just about Celtic's best opening of the match some far, coming thanks to Dembele's burst down the centre. The in-form striker probably wishes he had taken the shot on himself, however, rather than picking out Forrest who was in turn brought down.
Celtic giving a better account of themselves since going behind, but Rodgers knows that he needs something different to happen in the second half if his side are to have any chance. Ilkay Gundogan has just levelled up for City against Barca, meanwhile.
Some more positive play from the visitors ends with Rogic getting the ball stuck under his feet inside the box, meaning just a corner on this occasion, which comes to nothing and will likely spell the end of the first half.
HALF TIME: BORUSSIA MONCHENGLADBACH 1-0 CELTIC
The first half is brought to an end, with Borussia Monchengladbach holding a slender 1-0 lead over Celtic at the interval. It is a deserved advantage on the balance of things, though the visitors will argue that their opponents had just the two shots on target in the first half.
Gladbach saw plenty of the ball in dangerous positions in the first half, but could only muster a couple of shots on target - the first of which saw Lars Stindl test Craig Gordon a quarter of the way through. Stindl's big moment would come later in the rather flat first half, though only after Celtic struck the post through a sweet Scott Sinclair attempt from the edge of the box.
The foals, boosted by the return to action of Thorgan Hazard for the first time in five matches, were constantly looking to make things happen yet were being restricted largely to strikes from range. That all changed just after the half-hour mark, however, when returning dangerman Hazard was allowed to pick out Stindl, who sent his right-footed volley flying past Gordon.
That ultimately proved to be it in terms of the first half's chances at either end, though Brendan Rodgers's men did show the odd sign of growing into things and had a slight shout for a penalty rejected when James Forrest was brought down inside the opposition box. It was not to be, however, and it is Gladbach who lead at the midway point in this Group C clash.
Will either manager be tempted into making a change at the break? Schubert and Rodgers will be happy enough with what they saw in the latter stages of the first half, so it is likely that they will hold off until around the hour mark.
GLADBACH SUBS: Sippel, Herrmann, Dahoud, Raffael, Schulz, Hofmann, Jantschke
CELTIC SUBS: Bitton, Ciftci, Boyata, de Vries, Roberts, McGregor, Henderson
RESTART! Gladbach get us back up and running at Borussia-Park, aiming to build on their slender advantage from the first half. Stindl's goal the difference so far - can Celtic now turn things around in the remaining time?
A positive start to the half from Celtic, which ends with a terrible Gordon clearance straight into touch. A draw not enough for the Hoops this evening, really, so expect an all-out attacking display over the next 42 minutes.
Dembele perhaps took the wrong option in the first half when failing to slide in Sinclair, and it is a similar story now as the former Aston Villa man was overlooked when well placed. The Hoops still the team on top in the early stages of the second period.
Brilliant pace to the game at the moment - Celtic giving their all but Gladbach not willing to sit back and getting a few crosses into the box. It will be interesting to see which way Schubert goes with his changes in a short while.
SHOT! Forrest with space to burst into but he showed too much of the ball to his man and the attack ended. A nice pass is picked up by Stindl, who failed to really get the ball out of his feet and was thwarted in a simple manner by Gordon.
Sinclair almost getting in behind for pretty much the first time tonight, but it did not quite come off as the ball had a tad too much on it. Rodgers perhaps thinking about making that first alteration now, with Gladbach tweaking formation a little.
CLOSE! Great move from Gladbach - the best of the half by quite some distance. The ball was played through for Fabian Johnson, who could only help the ball past the far post when one-on-one from a tight angle. Kramer then fired the ball straight at Gordon.
CELTIC SUB! The first sub of the match is made by Rodgers, who brings on young talent Patrick Roberts for James Forrest. Gladbach coming close to a second over the past few minutes so that change was needed.
SAVE! Hazard with a shot-cross which Gordon has to deal with, helping the ball over the bar at the expense of a corner. The Bhoys struggling to find any sort of rhythm to their play now, with time fast ticking down.
Still 25 minutes of the match to go - plenty of time for Celtic to grab the two goals they desperately need. Man City now lead Barcelona 2-1, which is not great news for Gladbach who drop back down to third in the Group C standings.
OFF THE POST! Armstrong at fault as he gives away the ball too easily and the ball is worked to Stindl, who in turn picks out Andre Hahn in a better position for the forward to send his caressed shot against the bar.
SAVE! It is all happening now at Borussia-Park! Andre Hahn nods the ball on to the roof of the net; moments later Celtic are attacking and Dembele was denied by Sommer when cutting on to his right boot and blasting away.
SUBS! McGregor replaces Rogic for the visitors - their second change of the match - while Herrmann is on for Hazard who is struggling for fitness and has faded out of the game as it has gone on. Really open match now.
Following that frenetic five-minute spell, things have calmed down a little now which will probably suit Schubert more so than Rodgers. Celtic still requiring two goals to keep their Group C hopes alive, but just 18 minutes remain.
PENALTY TO CELTIC! Huge moment in this game in the blink of an eye! Dembele gets to a ball around the back first, only for Korb to drag him down. The referee points to the spot and shows the full-back a straight red.
GOAL! BORUSSIA MONCHENGLADBACH 1-1 CELTIC (MOUSSA DEMBELE, PEN)
Dembele, who missed a pen at the Camp Nou not so long ago, keeps his cool to level the scores at Borussia-Park. A massive moment in Group C; one that keeps things on a knife edge with both teams searching for a late winner.
YELLOW CARDS! We have gone 80-odd minutes without a yellow, but things now boiling over with so much on the line. Izaguirre and Herrmann both enter the book of this non-nonsense referee following a little shoving contest.
SHOT! Hahn get between Celtic's two centre-backs far too easily but curls his shot wide of the post. A good opening, that, which would have lifted the roof off this packed ground had it crept in.
GLADBACH SUB! Lars Stindl is withdrawn with seven minutes remaining at Borussia-Park, and it is Raffael who is brought on to mark his welcome return to action. Celtic fans making plenty of noise now - they are desperate for a second.
CELTIC SUB! Gamboa is replaced by youngster Liam Henderson, meaning a likely tactical switch to three at the back. The Bhoys need to make their man advantage count, so more bodies will now be shoved into advanced positions.
Space opens up for Robertson after a positive first touch, but he sends his curled shot wide of the post. Plenty of tension heading into the final stages of this match - a goal now for either side will surely win it.
CHANCE! Huge, huge chance for McGregor, who failed to hit the target when slid through by Roberts. Perfectly weighted through-ball but the finish was lacking. Will that be the final chance of this entertaining second half?
Celtic completely dominating things now but struggling to create another chance to rival McGregor's a few minutes ago. Just two more minutes of added time to come now, with Gladbach the happier to hear the full-time whistle when it does arrive.
FULL TIME: BORUSSIA MONCHENGLADBACH 1-1 CELTIC
The referee blows his whistle for full time, meaning no late reprieve for Celtic who can now only hope for Europa League football post-Christmas. Even that will be tough, with Borussia Monchengladbach two points better off in the Group C standings heading into the final two matches of the group stage. Nonetheless, a brave effort from the Bhoys who certainly deserved their point.
That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events at Borussia-Park, but be sure to stick around for plenty of reaction over the next hour or so. An on-the-whistle match report can also be found by clicking here. Thanks for joining!
