IT WAS ANOTHER tough night of Champions League football for Celtic, as PSG ran out relentless 7-1 winners at the Parc des Princes.
Edinson Cavani and Neymar both scored braces as Paris Saint-Germain registered a thumping win over the Scottish side.
Celtic were on the end of a 5-0 humbling in the reverse fixture two months ago, but might have allowed themselves to dream of a more memorable evening when Moussa Dembele gave them a shock lead after just 56 seconds.
That early goal only served to spark PSG’s heralded attacking triumvirate into life, though, as Cavani, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe scored four first-half goals to leave Brendan Rodgers’ side shell-shocked, effectively settling the game before the interval.
PSG eased up for most of the second half before a stunning late salvo added a deserved gloss to the scoreline. Marco Verratti added a fifth with a cool finish before Cavani bagged his second with a superb back-post volley, aided by a deflection off Kieran Tierney.
The final word went to Dani Alves — the Brazilian firing home a stunning strike from 25 yards that crashed in off the post.
PSG are three points ahead of Bayern Munich at the summit of Group B and a draw against the Germans next month will be enough to top the group ahead of the last 16 stage.
Celtic’s trip to Paris had started so well and they took an improbable lead inside the opening minute with a goal that was made in France.
Frenchman Olivier Ntcham’s cleverly disguised corner was met just inside the penalty area by his compatriot Dembele, whose deflected shot flew past Alphonse Areola to send the visiting support into raptures.
Their joy was short-lived, however, as the world’s most expensive footballer delivered a finish of typical precision to pull Unai Emery’s side level after nine minutes.
Adrien Rabiot jinked his way through the Celtic half before playing in Neymar down the left, where he was able to drill a low shot past Craig Gordon and into the far corner.
Moments after Ntcham had drilled a powerful strike just wide for Celtic, PSG took the lead, as some clever interplay between Neymar and Verratti released the Brazilian inside the area and, in an almost carbon copy of his opener, he stroked into Gordon’s far corner.
Neymar then turned provider for the third in the 28th minute, getting his shoulder to Alves’ looping cross to tee up Cavani inside the six-yard box for the Uruguayan’s 150th PSG goal.
The hosts’ fourth arrived 10 minutes before the break as Mbappe took full advantage of some reckless defending from a free-kick to power home for his seventh goal for the club since his move from Monaco.
Mbappe was denied a second when his scuffed shot was saved by Gordon before Verratti grabbed a fifth with a drilled finish into the bottom corner with 15 minutes remaining.
Cavani added his second with a well-controlled back-post volley in the 79th minute, Tierney inadvertently steering the ball past the helpless Gordon.
The final act was reserved for Alves, whose swerving long-range strike just a minute later cannoned in off the post to put PSG in seventh heaven.
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As a Celtic fan, if we win in England we might not been killed we are playing terrible teams week in week out
@Oisin Walsh: *were
@Oisin Walsh: I thought you were a pretty obvious rangers fan
@Oisin Walsh: I don’t think the EPL is the answer to beating PSG. I don’t think you’ll find many Celtic fans who would want to play in the EPL..
@David Garland: Who said EPL?
Love him or hate him Neymar was quality to watch tonight does everything at such pace!
@Lefty: hate him
@Lefty: He was, but he is also a tit of the highest order. I used to like him, but he’s become a total knob since joining PSG. Everytime I think of him throwing a strop for not being allowed to take penalties over Cavani, some sick comes into my mouth.
@Coner Willis: Ya but the money and fame that hit him at a young age he’s the poster boy of Brazil to be honest they nearly all end up like that unfortunately!!he does a step over as casual as a walk must be a nightmare to defend
@Lefty: You can enjoy the fame and not be a tit, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Romario, Kaka etc.
A poor day at the office , we are a small business team compared to these multinationals business team ? That said we played terribly , and paid the price
@Tricksy: As a football club Celtic have to set higher standards. It has to be obvious now that trouncing Hamilton and Inverness is nothing in the greater scheme of things. Celtic need to strenghten hugely in the next window. A goalkeeper, right-back, a centre-back and midfielder are needed. Show ambition in the market fpr God’s sake!!
@Daniel Donovan: you want Celtic to go out and pay champions league prices and put ourselves in massive debt? Ridiculous.
@Ciaran Rice: No I want Celtic to be more ambitious in the transfer window. Plenty of excellent pre-contract players available in January and hidden gems around Europethat would greatly increase tgeir European prospects. Investment from the board is needed. Where does the CL money go?
@Daniel Donovan: who exactly? And which of them are going to come to Celtic on 30k a week when they can play for a no mark English side for double with no expectation to win anything. Easy money that. Who are these players that would improve Celtic against Paris Saint Qatar?
Have a look at the accounts. It shows where the money goes. Every single penny of it. It’s all invested back into the club.
@Daniel Donovan: hidden gems like Dembele, Van Dyke, Wanyama. Be realistic, Celtic cant compete with wages in the EPL. Players want the money these days. Celtic are self sustained, they’re one of the best run football clubs in Europe.. Do you think theyre going to go spending silly money and go into hundreds of millions of debt just because the EPL clubs do..
@Ciaran Rice: Players like Steele, Todd Kane, Benkovic, Mihaljovic, St. Juste, Visca to name a few that spring to mind. Clubs everywhere seem to belive spending a fortune warrants good players. There’s so many out there that they could get that don’t cost a fortune.
@David Garland: Don’t expect then to start throwing 10-20million at players but that doesn’t nean they can’t be ambitious. Some of Chelsea’s youth prospects will be frustrated. Why not swoop in for a few of them? James McCarthy on a loan deal?
@Daniel Donovan: Celtic were in for Benkovic but his club wanted something ridiculous like £20mill for him. Not a chance Celtic are getting Visca after how he’s been playing the last while. Wasn’t aware he would be a free agent. Won’t matter. There will be clubs with bigger budgets than Celtic in for him. Todd Kane is not going to improve Celtic. Don’t know much about the other players TBH but know that St Juste is highly rated and very young.
As for McCarthy, he wouldn’t fit into the team. Brown plays that position better than McCarthy ever will. Maybe when Brown starts to slow down then we may look at him.
Jay, yer all getting very emotional over a Scottish club.chill.
Celtic are an embarrassment and have no business in the CL. A nothing league with nothing teams
@Dave Harris: silly comment
@Dave Harris: A nothing team that Man City couldn’t beat last year. A nothing team that beat Liverpool, Barca, Juve, Man Utd and many more in Europe. A nothing team that has the highest home attendance of any team in Europe so far this season.
@Dave Harris: this comment makes absolutely no sense. They qualified. Of course they deserve to be there.
PSG don’t deserve to be there. They are bankrolled by an actual country ffs. Financially doped to their eye balls. Celtic are playing by the rules and suffering for it.
@David Garland: In fairness when Celtic beat most of those teams you mentioned they did so with better standard of players than the current crop, also the SPL was that little bit more competitive. The current Celtic setup is extremely poor unfortunately.
@Ray Farrell: If they are extremely poor how is it Man City couldn’t beat them last season? Celtic have a budget and stick to it. We can’t afford to spend stupid money on mediocre players. Everton spent 150 million during the summer and couldn’t even make it out of the Europa league. Celtic win their title and yet next year have to play FOUR qualifying rounds to even make it into the group stages where the top four in England go straight in. UEFA are only worried about the money. Personally i can’t wait for European Football to implode..
@Ray Farrell: the current Celtic set up is anything but poor. Celtic have one of the best set ups in Europe. A major club with a huge ground, modern training facilities, very good youth set up, virtually no debt (practically unheard of), extremely well run by one of Europe’s most respected CEO’s who sits on the ECA board we are playing in the champions league.
As for the players being poor, the Celtic side that beat Barca under Lennon? About two of those players would get into this current Celtic side.
@Ciaran Rice: so how did ye conceed 12 goals in 2 games to a side that barca beat last year then? Celtic are great in their own league, no doubt there, but way off the standard outside of it.
@joe: because we just played a team worth over £500 mil. At least. That and employing the wrong tactics. You do t think this is a better PSG team than the one last season? Who, let’s not forget. Humiliated Barca in the first leg.
@Ciaran Rice: celtic are further behind the big teams in england and europe than ever. Nothing they can do about their location and they can keep on beating hearts, st mirren etc but does it really count as progress? Europe is where its at for them if they are to be judged from now on and the jury is well and truly out