Another Champions League night and the same old story for Celtic. A heavy 6-0 defeat at the hands of Atletico Madrid ends their chances of progressing in the competition.
A Daizen Maeda red card fifteen minutes after going 1-0 down to a sixth-minute Antoine Griezmann goal left Celtic with not just a mountain to climb, but an Everest to vault.
And the red card really set the tone for the night. To be fair to Celtic, they started the night brightly. They were passing the ball with ease, taking the game to the Spaniards but, ultimately, Atletico put the ten men of Celtic to the sword.
But there is no doubt the sending-off changed the whole course of the game. The red card was undoubtedly harsh and Celtic manager, Brendan Rodgers, had his say on it.
Stuart Pearce’s Celtic red card verdict
Whilst the Celtic fans will feel seriously aggrieved, former England defender, Stuart Pearce had a different take on it.
Pearce said [Talksport], “I’m not sure. If I was a referee’s assessor I would say, I think red was about right. I can understand why people would think well maybe it’s one and a half a dozen. I’m not sure.
“It was dangerous and the one thing the referee will see when he goes to the screen is the stopped action of studs on shin.
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“That guides a lot of things rather than most other things. I think it was a fair red. It wasn’t a very unfair red, put it that way.”
I don’t think many will agree with that take. Even Pearce’s co-host Adrian Durham thought the card was harsh as that Celtic were hard done by.
Being realistic, Atletico would probably still have won the match but not by the six clear goals on the night.
Brendan Rodgers must now pick up his team for Sunday as Aberdeen await them at Parkhead.
In other news, ‘No doubt’… Celtic are set to offer 24-year-old a big new contract to stay