A flying start
It could hardly have been a better start in Warsaw. In-form Reo Hatate slotted home from close-range after a great second-man run into the box. The Japanese playmaker scooped the ball beyond the Shakhtar keeper after only ten-minutes as Ange Postecoglou’s men came out of the traps flying. Kyogo showed intelligence to let the ball trickle over the line as he may have been offside if he’d touched it. The Scottish champions totally dominated the opening exchanges and really should have been up by more. At this level, opposition teams clearly do have the quality to hurt you, though. So, while it was an impressive start, the Ukrainian team were allowed back into the match and they settled very well after equalising.
Sead Haksabanovic makes first start
Celtic’s new attacker started his first match for the club since joining. Like his fellow offensive teammates, the number nine looked sharp and hungry during the first 20-minutes. He played in some neat crosses and of course set up Hatate to net early on. He managed to isolate his man on a couple of occasions and looked dangerous when running at Shakhtar’s defence, especially on the break. Ultimately, though, like the full team, his levels dropped somewhat as the home team began to asset themselves. He was subbed at the break with Daizen Maeda replacing him.
Opportunity for three points missed
On reflection, Celtic would have taken a point from tonight’s game if offered it before the match. That said, the Scottish champions created numerous openings to score – and really should have won the group game. The Hoops had 16 shots compared to Shakhtar’s five. Six of them were on target. Giorgos Giakoumakis had glorious opportunities at the death. It’s safe to say Celtic will take great confidence from this experience going forward. They played very well over the piece. But you have to feel it will be tinged with a dose of ‘what if’.
