Celtic boss Martin O’Neill conceded it was a sobering European night for the Hoops after a heavy 4-1 home defeat to VfB Stuttgart in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League play-off tie.
Under the lights at Celtic Park, the Scottish champions were punished for defensive lapses, leaving them with a steep mountain to climb ahead of next week’s return leg in Germany.
Still, with domestic business looming, attention must quickly switch back to the Premiership, where Hibernian visit Glasgow this Sunday.
Reflecting on the result in his post-match interview with Celtic TV, O’Neill was frank in his assessment, admitting his side made life harder for themselves against high-quality opposition.
“It was going to be a tough game anyway to begin with, but we didn’t help ourselves. We conceded some very poor goals,” said O’Neill.
Despite the scoreline, there was a brief spell where Celtic appeared to be growing into the contest, particularly around the interval, before Stuttgart struck decisively again.
“We got back into the game and even at half-time I felt we could conjure up something but we conceded not long after that and the game goes beyond you at that stage.”
The Celtic manager pinpointed defensive shortcomings as the defining factor on the night, stressing that the goals conceded were preventable.
“The very obvious thing is we didn’t defend strongly enough in the course of it, and I thought the goals were avoidable.
“That’s gone now, and much as I can push it to the side and learn a great deal, as I did from the Midtjylland game, that they are difficult games.
“European football is tough and when you’re playing a side in the top four of the Bundesliga, it doesn’t matter if it’s home or away, it’s going to be hard.”
Crucially, the Celtic boss underlined that immediate focus must turn to the domestic front, where momentum remains vital.
“But we can learn things from that but our focus now has to be Sunday, which is massive for us.”
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