Borussia Monchengladbach beat Celtic 2-0 in Glasgow to keep their hopes of progressing to the last 16 of the Champions League alive and well.
A dominant first-half display for the German side was not rewarded with any goals, but Lars Stindl and Andre Hahn both found a way through in 20 second-half minutes.
Kolo Toure was at fault for both strikes on what proved to be a hugely disappointing night for the hosts, whose only two chances of note fell the way of Scott Sinclair in either half.
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 Celtic and Borussia Monchengladbach at Celtic Park. These two sides have yet to pick up a win in a tough-looking Group C, which contains competition favourites Barcelona, but it is the hosts who sit the prettier by virtue of a well-earned point in their last outing here against Manchester City.
Many sees this double-header between the group's bottom-two sides as being a straight shootout for a place in the Europa League post-Christmas but, as Celtic ace Erik Sviatchenko said himself on the eve of tonight's clash, both teams have confidence that they can still oust one of Barcelona or Man City to claim a place in the last-16 stage of Europe's elite club competition.
TEAM NEWS!
CELTIC XI: Gordon; Lustig, Toure, Sviatchenko, Tierney; Bitton, Brown, Forrest, Rogic, Sinclair; Dembele
GLADBACH XI: Sommer; Korb, Vestergaard, Elvedi, Wendt; Kramer, Strobl; Traore, Stindl; Hofmann; Hahn
Celtic make four changes to the side that saw off Motherwell 2-0 here at the weekend, bringing their starting lineup more align to their strongest available. Mikael Lustig and Nir Bitton were both left out for that Scottish Premiership match after picking up knocks on international duty but, as expected, they are both deemed fit enough to start this key clash at Paradise.
Tom Rogic is another who was omitted last time out as a result of his international exploits, having covered plenty of miles travelling to represent Australia during the two-week break from club action. The midfielder starts tonight, though, as does Kolo Toure in the fourth and final alteration from a few days ago. That means manager Brendan Rodgers has stuck with the same XI that held Man City to a 3-3 draw here in a real thriller last month.
Moussa Dembele is the man tasked with leading the line, looking to build on an impressive start to the season which has seen him score 15 goals in his first 17 games for the club - including two already in the Champions League proper. Scott Sinclair is another who is really enjoying life in his new Glasgow surroundings, finding the net yet again in that win over Motherwell to show that he still has the quality that saw him become such a hit in the Championship under Rodgers five years ago.
As far as the visitors are concerned, boss Andre Schubert appears to have had a reshuffle and gone with four at the back, as opposed to the three he usually favours. The German outfit have had a number of players pull out of this match due to injury and illness, one of whom is Andreas Christensen who is replaced by Jannik Vestergaard at centre-back alongside Nico Elvedi.
Tobias Strobl, Ibrahima Traore and Jonas Hofmann are the other three players to come into the side from last time out, as Schubert makes four changes in all. As well as being without Christensen, Gladbach also have to make do without the services of Thorgan Hazard, Raffael, USA international Fabian Johnson, Josip Drmic and Alvaro Dominguez - the latter two of whom are long-term absentees.
BENCH WATCH!
CELTIC SUBS: De Vries, Izaguirre, Simunovic, Griffiths, Armstrong, Roberts, McGregor
GLADBACH SUBS: Sippel, Hermann, Dahoud, Schulz, Sow, Jantschke, Rutten
Mahmoud Dahoud will feel a little aggrieved to have missed out on the starting lineup for the visitors, as he is made to settle for a place on the bench for this injury-hit side. The hosts have a number of options to call upon should they require some attacking impetus, meanwhile, including both Leigh Griffiths and Patrick Roberts, with the latter also being used off the bench against his parent club Man City in the last European outing.
Both managers make four changes to their sides from last time out, though that does not quite tell the entire story. Celtic are considerably stronger by the return of certain key figures, who were rested against Motherwell a few days ago, while Borussia Monchengladbach have a number of injury issues to contend with - including the loss of Raffael, Christensen and Hazard - as they revert to a 4-2-3-1.
So a big night ahead for both of these sides, then, with anything less than a win for either surely enough to signal the end of their Champions League hopes for another season. Nothing will be confirmed just yet, of course, and there is still a return tie to come in a couple of weeks' time in Germany, but ground needs to be made up on top-two sides Man City and Barcelona who face off elsewhere in Group C tonight.
While fellow British sides Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City were given favourable draws, Celtic were pitted against Barcelona and Manchester City - two of the favourites to go all the way and lift the famous trophy - essentially making this a straight shootout for third spot and thus a place in the Europa League in the New Year. That said, should the Hoops wins tonight and City suffer defeat to Barca, then the sides will be level on points at the midway point.
As ever, Celtic have made a strong start to their domestic campaign and have yet to taste defeat under Brendan Rodgers. Seven wins and one draw from their first eight Scottish Premiership ties, with the only blip coming in a 2-2 draw with Inverness Caledonian Thistle in early September, has left the Bhoys sitting four points clear of closest challengers Aberdeen with a game in hand still to play on their rivals.
Celtic have also progressed in the Scottish Challenge Cup and now face an almighty few days, as they follow up this must-win clash against Gladbach with trip to Hampden Park to take on great rivals Rangers in the semi-final of the Scottish League Cup. The Hoops are strong favourites to go on and win the league yet again this term, but the challenge is to dominate the two domestic cup competitions and also progress in Europe post-Christmas - whether that be in the Champions League or the Europa League.
The key to winning this evening's match will be to create an atmosphere to match the one we witnessed here against Man City recently, when the fans really did help the players over the line. Three times Celtic led in that one, making the end result perhaps just a tad disappointing, but the Citizens had won each of their games under Pep Guardiola up to that point and a draw must be taken as a positive when looking back. Defeat away to Barcelona is also nothing to get too concerned about, though the Hoops did ship seven and gave a rather poor account of themselves.
It has already been a mammoth European campaign for Celtic, and we are only a couple of months into the season. Rodgers saw his men scrape past Lincoln Red Imps in the early qualifying rounds, having tasted an embarrassing defeat in the first leg, before helping his side to victories over Astana (3-2) and Hapoel Be'er Sheva (5-4) - the latter putting up an almighty fight in a game that looked as good as over after the first leg. All that before the groups had even begun!
The worry for Celtic is that they really are underdogs in this competition, despite their huge stature in Scotland, and that is reflected in their results in recent years - eight defeats in their last 10, with that solitary triumph coming against Ajax here in October 2013. The other game they avoided defeat in, a 3-3 draw with Man City, did show that they are capable of holding the continent's best side, though, while there was also the small matter of a triumph over Barcelona here not too long ago.
DID YOU KNOW? Celtic recently set a new record for the amount of goals conceded across the opening two matchdays in the Champions League, shipping 10 in games against Barcelona and Manchester City. The previous unwanted record was held jointly by Dynamo Kiev and Braga, who had let nine goals in during their respective first two outings. Not great from the Bhoys' perspective, but they did claim a point from one of those games.
The good news for Celtic heading into tonight's game, from an historical perspective, is that only once from six games has a Scottish side lost at home to a German side in the Champions League, with two of those ending all square. That solitary defeat came in the blue half of Glasgow, as Rangers fell to a 2-0 reverse at the hands of Stuttgart in November 2009 before their much-publicised financial problems.
Celtic have made as good a start as ever domestically, having won seven and drawn one of their opening eight Scottish Premiership games this term. The Hoops face a huge week ahead, though, as they follow up this vital clash against Borussia Monchengladbach with a Scottish League Cup semi-final meeting with rivals Rangers at Hampden Park on Sunday.
While Celtic will be desperate for maximum points tonight, this match is even more important for Gladbach in many ways. The German outfit have made a slow start domestically and are without a win in Group C, meaning that defeat tonight and even third place will essentially be out of reach as we hit the halfway stage. Schmidt's charges have won three, drawn two and lost two in the Bundesliga - hardly a great return for a side that finished behind only Leverkusen, Dortmund and Bayern last term.
That run of form to kick off the season has left Borussia in ninth place, just ahead of Leverkusen who gave a good account of themselves in their meeting with Spurs last night - in the second half, at least! Things do not exactly get any easier for the visitors, either, as they face champions and current pacesetters Bayern on Saturday evening, desperate to close the growing gap on the top-four sides in the division.
Gladbach had a glorious chance to pick up three more points in their last outing, but two missed pens means that they were made to settle for a goalless draw against a Hamburg side who were down to 10 men for over an hour of the game. Gladbach have very much proved to be also-rans at this level in the recent past, while also going five games without a victory over Scottish opposition - failing to score in four of those matches.
The last of game in that run came against Dundee United 30-odd years ago, though, so not too much can be read into that, but what we can deduct from this Gladbach side is that they do not perform too well on their travels. In Europe, they have tasted defeat in three off their last four games, while it is just the four wins in 17 away outings under boss Andre Schubert in all competitions.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS! This is the first competitive meeting between these two sides. Celtic have won just one of their last 10 against a team from Germany, however, losing seven and drawing two. The only triumph in that sequence came against Stuttgart at Celtic Park in the last 16 of the 2002-03 UEFA Cup. As mentioned a little earlier, Borussia Monchengladbach have themselves gone five without a win over Scottish opposition.
With kickoff at Celtic Park now less than 10 minutes away, let us check out some pre-match thoughts from both camps.
Brendan Rodgers: "Our home games are always going to be very important for us. We hope we can produce the same performance as our last game here. We were disappointed we didn't get the win in the end [against City], but the performance level was particularly pleasing. This will be an equally tough game with a different sort of challenge against a very good side. They have an outstanding young team. It will be a tough game for us but we will be ready for it."
Andre Schubert: "We are coming into an intimidating atmosphere and the players must play with lots of aggression. It is important we play aggressively, with lots of impact. They are a high-quality team but we have prepared thoroughly for this game. It's always difficult without key players, especially when they are your best goalscorers and defenders. However, we have a good squad and we will play for a positive result."
Rodgers stressing the importance of picking up points on home soil, then, which is obviously all the more important with trips to the Etihad Stadium and Borussia-Park still to come. The Celtic boss also claimed that this will be just as tough as the City game, which is typical of a manager to say ahead of a game that his side are under pressure to win but, should they performance like they did against the Citizens, they should be celebrating their first Group C victory.
Schubert, rightly, bemoaned his side's injury problems ahead of this game. Four changes made tonight, with a shift in system to go with it - three at the back becoming a flat-back four - with Raffael, Christensen and Hazard among those to miss out. Gladbach are without a win so far in this year's competition proper, but anything less than victory tonight and they can wave goodbye to any outside hopes of reaching the last 16 - as can Celtic.
Both sets of players are now out on the field of play, with a raucous atmosphere to great the teams. As things stand in Group C ahead of a ball being kicked in this third round of matches, Barcelona lead the way with six points from six, Man City have four points, Celtic are on one and Gladbach are yet to get off the mark. Here. We. Go!
KICKOFF! Celtic, without defeat on home soil in 21 games now in all competitions, get us up and running in Glasgow. Borussia Gladbach, sporting their black and luminous green strip, having to do plenty of harrying high up the pitch early on.
A frantic start to the match here, as Gordon is made to work early on to collect a ball into the box ahead of a visiting player, before the hosts quickly attacked forward. Sinclair appeared to go for goal when he had Rogic up with him, though his shot was heading off target when Sommer collected.
Celtic incredibly open at the back, which gives Hahn plenty of room to operate inside the box. The angle was tight but certainly not tight enough to find the net, though his shot was superbly blocked by Toure.
The hosts looking incredibly shaky at the back in these opening stages. Traore marched down the right and looked to square to the ball to Hahn, who went to ground before he could make contact with the ball. Appeared to just lose his footing, rather than being challenged.
Celtic looking far more composed now after that bright start from the visitors. Some of Gladbach's play is very slick, with Hahn in particular proving a threat with some peeling runs off the last man, which so far haven't quite come off.
Yet to see Celtic really get a hold on the ball in the attacking third of the pitch, with Sinclair's early off-target attempt from an angle their brightest moment thus far. Schubert will probably be the happier of the two managers at this point.
YELLOW CARD! Kramer, booked in the defeat to Man City earlier in the competition, is shown a yellow early on here after handling the ball deliberately when being tackled to the ground. Walking a tightrope, and all that...
Bitton takes on the free kick from around 35 yards out, which was heading just wide of the post. Sommer did appear to get the faintest of touches to the ball to concede a corner, but it was not going to find the bottom corner regardless.
SHOT! Traore the latest to take on a shot from range, which again was well dealt with by the keeper even though it was going wide of the target. Very evenly matched game so far, but it is the visitors who do like the livelier when getting bodies forward.
SAVE! Big stop from Gordon to prevent Traore's curler from finding the bottom corner. The Scottish keeper got down well to his left and was quickly up to his feet and on to the loose ball before Hahn could tap it in.
That is three or four times now that the visitors have managed to find themselves in a promising shooting position, with that Traore attempt the closest they have come yet to opening the scoring. Rodgers will not be too concerned just yet, but conceding first will be disastrous.
GROUP C UPDATE! Barcelona have taken the lead against Manchester City elsewhere in Group C this evening, courtesy of that man Lionel Messi. That shifts Barca well clear at the top, which is a good thing for these two sides as they are more likely to catch Man City in second.
Hahn opts to shoot from close to 40 yards out, with an effort that ends well wide of the goal. Replays show that the striker was right to be aggrieved by the lack of a corner, though, as it took a nick on its way through. Gladbach looking very bright.
SAVE! A long ball over the top bypasses Dembele and reaches the welcoming hands of Sommer in the Gladbach goal; the 15-goal striker yet to get going at all tonight. Up the other end, more gaps appears and Hoffman's shot is well saved by Gordon, who is proving to be Celtic's most involved player.
Jeers from home supporters, as Gladbach boss possession in the opposition's half. Once they do win the ball back they just as quickly given it away, leading to more than a few groans around a subdued Celtic Park, bar the energetic away end.
SAVE! So two big moments in this game so far, both of which have involved Celtic keeper Gordon - the game's key player. Make that three, in fact, as Bitton is caught out and Hahn gets another shot on target which the Scot helps over the bar.
A lack of communication at the back, perhaps, as a cross into the box is nodded behind for a Gladbach corner - this intense spell of pressure continues. Celtic have been in first gear from the off, unable to hold off their opponents' attacking moves.
YELLOW CARD! Toure looks to take the safe option by knocking the ball out for a throw, except he fails to put enough weight on the ball and it is kept in by Stindl. From that Tierney lunges in on Traore to even up the card count on the night.
So unlucky from Strobl, who knocks the ball past his opponent and is so nearly clean through on goal, only for Toure to get across to deny the midfielder. Gladbach so dominant in this first half, even testing Gordon on three or four occasions, but still no way through.
Gladbach playing more and more like the home side as the half wares on, as Strobl blasts another shot wide. Rodgers may well be thinking of a change even at this point, five minutes before the break, as his side are being outclassed.
This is a game that Celtic really do need three points from to keep their Champions League hopes alive, but at this rate this one is only ending one way. Schubert will be a little concerned that his side have not made the most of their dominance, though.
Gordon just taking his time over a goal kick, which pretty much sums things up - Celtic need half time to regroup. The good news for the Hoops is that they are still level with half the game to play, despite being second best throughout the opening 45 minutes.
CHANCE! Well they have been second best throughout, but Celtic have just created as good a chance as any so far tonight. Rogic played a glorious through-ball for Sinclair, who could not keep his attempt down with only Sommer to beat.
HALF TIME: CELTIC 0-0 BORUSSIA MONCHENGLADBACH
Greek referee Tasos Sidiropoulous blows his whistle for half time, bringing a close to an opening 45 minutes that Borussia Monchengladbach had by far the better of on the whole. That said, it was Celtic who had probably the best chance of the half right on the brink of the interval; Sinclair failing to convert from close range.
Celtic were looking incredibly open at the back right from the off, with the visitors spraying a few shots wide of the target inside the opening quarter of the match. The first real shot on target arrived 17 minutes into the match when Ibrahima Traore looked to pick out the bottom corner with a curled effort, which Craig Gordon got across well to keep out before latching straight on to the loose ball.
Jonas Hoffmann was the next to test Gordon, this time from closer range after more gaps appeared in the Celtic defence, but the German midfielder came out second best in his battle with the Bhoys' stopper. One of four players to be restored from the weekend win over Motherwell, Israel international Nir Bitton, was particularly struggling at times in the first half as he gave away possession for the lively Andre Hahn to blast away attempt number three on target.
Despite being without arguably their three most important players due to injury, which forced boss Andre Schubert into abandoning his three-at-the-back system in favour of a flat-back four, it was Gladbach who were continuing to control the game as half time approached. However, Celtic did create the best attacking move of the half right on the brink of the interval when Tom Rogic - one of those rested last time out - carved open the opposition defence with one intricate through-ball. Scott Sinclair timed his run well to get on the end of the ball, though he failed to keep his attempt down with only Yann Sommer to beat as the sides went into the break all square - a scoreline that suited neither side.
That glorious chance for Sinclair aside deep in the half, Celtic were essentially playing like the away side as Gladbach dominated the ball in the opening 45 minutes. Will Brendan Rodgers therefore spring into action at the break? Here is a reminder of the subs available to both managers.
CELTIC SUBS: De Vries, Izaguirre, Simunovic, Griffiths, Armstrong, Roberts, McGregor
GLADBACH SUBS: Sippel, Hermann, Dahoud, Schulz, Sow, Jantschke, Rutten
RESTART! Gladbach get us back up and running at Celtic Park, looking to build on their positive first-half display. No changes made by either manager at the break, so it is as you were on that front with 45 minutes ahead of us.
Scott Brown is now essentially Celtic's deepest player, taking up a sweeper role, as Rodgers looks to give his side more control of the ball. No changes made by the Ulsterman at the break, but clearly a slight tweak in formation for this second half.
Already much better from Celtic, as a cross from the right is met by the head of Sinclair. Much like that chance in the first half, he fluffs his lines and sends the attempt wide of the target. Gladbach having to sit back far more now.
Nir Bitton's having a mare in midfield, which is earning him some stick from his own supporters now. That weekend rest, supposedly due to a knock picked up on international duty with Israel, has not really helped his cause.
Far more urgency to Celtic's play now, as expected, but as a result Gladbach are enjoying plenty of space to run into at the other end of the pitch. This game surely has a goal in it, as Strobl bends a shot no more than a yard wide of the intended target.
GOAL! CELTIC 0-1 BORUSSIA MONCHENGLADBACH (LARS STINDL)
Gladbach get what is a deserved goal on the balance of things, through arguably the game's best player. Toure's mistake allowed Hahn to wrap his boot around the ball before it could be ushered out of play, and Stindl fired past Gordon who failed to set himself in time.
Celtic, without a home defeat in 21 games, are really on the back foot here. It has simply not been good enough, and now they face an almighty task to score twice against a Gladbach side whose tails are very much up with an hour gone.
Bitton drives forward in style to belie the type of game he has had so far but then, to sum things up nicely, he drags his shot horrible wide of goal. Rodgers surely thinking of a quick double change in the next few moments - two goals required here.
CELTIC SUB! Rodgers make the obvious change, bringing on McGregor for the utterly poor Bitton in midfield. More energy now, with Celtic expected to throw all they have at their German opponents over these next 25 minutes or so.
The home fans collectively hold their breath as Hoffmann appears to be clean through on goal, but the offside flag went up. Replays show that it was just about the right call. Celtic earn a corner up the other end which is hooked over the bar from close range.
A good spell from Celtic now, as they begin to get bodies forward. More and more gaps will obviously open up as a result, but the Bhoys just concerned about getting themselves level by any means necessary. Rodgers still deliberating over his second change.
McGregor gets high up the left but is unable to pick out a teammate with his subsequent cross into the box. Celtic dominating the game now in the manner they should have been before going behind. Too little, too late, perhaps?
Just as the Celtic pressure was really beginning to build, Brown brings down Hoffmann close to the left-hand touchline and Gladbach can breath once more. The Bhoys on top but unable to ask any questions of the untested Sommer in this half.
CELTIC SUB! Rogic played a superb through-ball in the first half to set Sinclair free, but that aside he has not done a great deal to effect this game. He has now been replaced by Griffiths, with Roberts soon to follow.
CELTIC SUB! That third and final Celtic sub has been made - the energetic Roberts coming on for Forrest, with 15 minutes left to play. It has been a really bland second half, in truth, but the onus is still on the hosts to change that.
Still just the one shot on target in this second half, which ended with Stindl's strike rippling the Celtic net. Griffiths on the end of some groans now following some bad play on the edge of the opposition box, as the hosts' frustrations continue.
GOAL! CELTIC 0-2 BORUSSIA MONCHENGLADBACH (ANDRE HAHN)
Another Toure error, which inevitably leads to a killer second for Gladbach. The centre-back was far too lax on the ball, allowing Stindl to get the ball and Hahn to break forward and blast past Gordon for a second. Celtic's hopes of progression are over, I'm afraid.
Half a chance of Hahn, who races in behind but smashes the ball wide of goal. Gladbach looking the more likely to score the game's third goal, as a stunned and deflated Celtic Park watches on for these closing stages.
Celtic fans following coverage with us tonight will not need reminding that, as things stand - and will probably remain - their side are bottom of the Group C standings. Last-16 hopes over, all attention is now on clawing back the points on Gladbach and earning a place in the Europa League.
GLADBACH SUB! First change of the night for Gladbach, as Traore - lively in the first half but not so in the second - makes way for Schulz. Just a case of seeing through these final four minutes now for the visiting side.
Celtic the team currently asking all the questions, but still Sommer awaits his first save of the half - incredible! The Bhoys now must turn attention to that crunch clash with Rangers in the cup on Sunday, which has even more importance now.
GLADBACH SUB! Schubert makes his second change of the night - expect the third to follow in the next few minutes - as the superb Hahn is replaced by Hermann. We are now into three minutes of added time at Celtic Park.
Still no way through for Celtic, as the home fans begin to make their way to the exits. Gladbach's first win in the European Cup proper since 1977 - the year they reached the final, only to suffer defeat to Liverpool in Rome.
FULL TIME: CELTIC 0-2 BORUSSIA MONCHENGLADBACH
The full-time whistle sounds at Celtic Park, meaning Borussia Monchengladbach have the rarest of victories in the European Cup. Full credit to them, because there is no denying that they were the better side tonight and fully deserved the two-goal margin of victory. The hosts had just two chances, both of which fell to Scott Sinclair in either half.
That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events at Celtic Park, but before heading off be sure to check out this on-the-whistle report from Paradise. Full reaction is also due to follow in the next 30 minutes or so, so stick around for that. Thanks for joining!
