Ahead of their first game at this level since losing at home to Anderlecht in December 2017, the Scottish champions dared to believe. The first Australian manager to do so at this level, Ange Postecoglou urged his team to play fearlessly and go down swinging. For almost an hour they took him at his word. Against the undisputed heavyweight champions of Europe, risk and reward is always a risky strategy. Throwing punch after punch, the Parkhead side hit the woodwork and tested Thibaut Courtois but failed to land a knockout blow. Real Madrid players celebrate during the second half as they cruised to a 3-0 opening win at Celtic Celtic struggled in the second half conceding three goals as goalkeeper Joe Hart threw the ball away after conceding It’s tempting to wonder how a raucous Parkhead would have coped with the emotional drain of the first goal. An exercise in futility, two devastating counter punches in four minutes from Vinicius Junior and the evergreen Luka Modric put Celtic on the canvas and their resistance was spent. A third goal from Eden Hazard with 13 minutes to play felt like a needless display of firepower. a stark reminder of the gulf between Europe’s elite and teams from lesser leagues making the best of what they have. Celtic can take solace in their performance, if not the result. For the European champions the first half was an unexpectedly awkward affair. Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema limped off the pitch minutes after Callum McGregor hit the upright from 18 yards. This was the third or fourth opener and the Scottish champions will look back on the night and a string of missed opportunities to ruffle the feathers of the 14-winners. At this level a ruthless streak is not only desirable. necessary. Before that there was talk of old fox Ancelotti resting some of his names. Indulge in a little squad rotation before the real matches begin. In deference to the Celtic Park experience, the most successful manager in Champions League history pretty much went with the line-up that beat Liverpool in last season’s final. Only Casemiro – now a Manchester United player – was missing. Eden Hazard enjoyed a productive hour on the pitch after coming off the bench to score Real Madrid’s third goal The former Chelsea star scored one and provided an assist to remind fans of his world-class ability at Parkhead Out of necessity, Celtic were forced to make a change or two to the side that dismantled rivals Rangers in a 4-0 weekend. Losing a leading goalscorer is never a good thing, but the Scots didn’t start this game like a team nursing an acute case of self-pity over the absence of Kyogo Furuhashi. Sadly, when the Japanese talisman finally arrived, the game was gone. Two of Real Madrid’s 14 titles have come in the city of Glasgow. Their last visit to Parkhead, a 2-0 defeat in March 1980, they knew they were in for a night here after just 27 seconds. With five goals in his last two games, Celtic’s Israeli winger Liel Abada has shown he is a lethal finisher. And Portuguese winger Jota flicked the ball into his path in the first attack of the match that you’d expect to see the net swell. He did not do it. He squandered an even better chance after 13 minutes. Once again Jota’s quick thinking and intelligence was the catalyst as the summer signing from Benfica played a sweeping first pass into Abada’s path behind an offside line. With only Courtois to beat the 20-year-old’s finish was tame. A glorious opportunity missed. After a tight first half, Vinicius Junior broke the deadlock for the Spanish side early in the second half with a low finish You wondered how many Celtics could afford to pass. Not much as it turned out. A hallmark of their play in the SPFL is that they dismiss teams in the first half and they had almost as many chances against Real Madrid as they did against Ross County. Courtois took a corner to Japanese midfielder Reo Hatate and felt the burn when the ball ran straight at him from 20 yards. Playing with a freedom and invention that surprised and delighted their own supporters in the stands they must still be reeling from McGregor’s fierce 18-yard strike that came within inches of the lead. When PSG were knocked out by a five-goal home win under Brendan Rodgers, it proved a more pleasant experience for Celtic fans. The only downer? The absence of the goal they deserved. Hazard proved effective in Real Madrid’s attack after replacing Karim Benzema – graphic courtesy of SofaScore A measure of Real’s discomfort came after 25 minutes when Austrian defender David Alaba crossed the ball out of bounds with no one near him. The sight of Benzema limping nonchalantly, trying to mend an injury, added another decibel to the relentless buzz. Seconds after Federico Valverde flashed Real’s first real chance of the night past the left-hand post, the scoreboard went up to signal the talismanic goalscorer’s departure. In a show of respect – and no doubt relief – Celtic fans gave the predatory striker a standing ovation from the pitch. Any encouragement they took from his departure was hard to sustain when Eden Hazard stepped up. It won’t prove to be much of a downgrade. The Belgian’s first consecutive pass of the night was almost an assist for a goal. Celtic’s first chance of the half created Real’s first real chance before half-time. It came from a moment of quick thinking from Hazard, an immediate reminder of the damage big teams can do. As Celtic appealed for offside, Brazilian-born winger Vinicius Junior – now a naturalized Spaniard – raced unheeded down the left-hand side with a clean run at goal. There was always the expectation that Joe Hart – the old Celtic director – would see some action. No one thought it would take 42 minutes to arrive. Parkhead held their breath as Vinicius Junior sent a corner kick towards goal, with the former England number one making a huge stop at a crucial juncture. At half-time you wondered if Celtic had fired their bolt. After a half that could have been much better, Abada left the field to be replaced by Daizen Maeda, another of Postecoglou’s clever Japanese imports. The substitute had the chance to make an instant impact when Juranovic’s inbound cross landed at his unmarked feet in the area. Stunned by the chance he failed to get enough of it and Courtois fell gratefully to another missed opportunity. A dangerous theme was developing and Celtic would regret their waste soon enough. After 57 minutes, Parkhead, a seething mass of noise, finally fell silent. A great Real Madrid goal came from precious little. Hazard appeared to control the ball on the halfway line with his upper arm before slotting the ball into the path of Federico Valverde. A beautifully weighted low ball across the face of goal picked out Vinicius Junior who reached the back post and this time the winger slotted the ball low into the corner of the net. Scotland’s Euro 2020 finals hitman Luka Modric will be ruled out of Glasgow on that score. Another clinical counter-attack four minutes later saw the diminutive Croatian maestro curl a superb finish into the net with the outside of his foot past Hart’s outstretched arm for 2-0. Celtic knew, then, that they were done. For the first time all night, Real were having fun. The third goal felt harsh for Celtic, Dani Carvajal flicking a cross into Hazard’s path for a simple finish from six yards. 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