Celtic midfielder Arne Engels was deflated following Celtic's dramatic 7-1 defeat against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday night, but told German media it was simply a bad day for Brendan Rodgers and his players.
Speaking to German sports media outlet Kicker, the 21-year-old praised the home side's performance on Matchday Two of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League trail, while likewise suggesting the visitors had an off-day, and look forward to bouncing back domestically.
Engels said (via Google Translate): “We just didn’t play well. Dortmund were really strong, but I still think 7-1 was a bit too much. We have to stick together now. We concentrate on ourselves and just look to the next game. It’s happening so quickly, there’s no time to think about it for long, we just have to get on with it.
“It wasn’t our best game; I think everyone could see that. The good thing is that our next game comes quickly and it’s up to us to show again that Dortmund was just a bad day and that we are still in a good mood.
"Even though today was a bad day for us, we are usually much better."
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In the immediate wake of Tuesday night's defeat, TCW's Ryan McGinlay said this of Engels' Dortmund display: "A sobering night for the record-signing, who put in his worst performance as a Celtic player by a considerable distance, against the team he made his Bundesliga debut for Augsburg.
"Slack on the ball, it would be his softness that would allow Dortmund to get going, whereas his lazy leg would clip Adeyemi in the box, giving the referee no choice but to point to the spot again.
"You expect more from an £11 million signing, though he was not the only one to have an off night, in fairness. He will bounce back from this unenjoyable experience."
