Brendan Rodgers said last week that Celtic’s ambition for the Champions League this season was not to lose their first game 7-0, comparing Paris Saint-Germain to a team of motorbikes. We had presumed he was joking.
Okay, the damage was just five – three of them scored inside a blistering first half – but that was only because the visitors eased off the accelerator after the break.
Much was made of the numbers before kick off, PSG’s £419million strikeforce compared to the £17m it cost to assemble Celtic’s entire starting XI. But you get what you pay for and it was that three-man attack of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani who scored inside the opening 45 minutes.
Left to right: Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Edinson Cavani celebrate PSG’s opening goal against Celtic on Tuesday
Neymar shrugged off pressure from two Celtic defenders to pick his spot beyond Craig Gordon after 19 minutes
Mbappe doubled the lead with 12 minutes left of the first half with a calm, right-footed finish from close range
Mbappe races off in celebration after scoring his first Champions League goal for his new club at Parkhead
Cavani slotted home a penalty five minutes before half-time to make it three after being fouled in the box
The striker celebrates his goal for the visitors, while put PSG in total control before half-time
You had wondered how they would handle a sodden Tuesday night in the East End of Glasgow with 60,000 locals making a noise so loud that the thunderous skies of Storm Aileen were all but muted.
But the home crowd, who would witness their biggest European defeat at Celtic Park, were soon silenced themselves. Javier Tebas, the head of La Liga, says PSG have been caught ‘peeing in the pool’ given their disregard for Financial Fair Play regulations. Another crude analogy involving PSG and peeing could have applied to the first half here.
Celtic had never won the opening group game of a Champions League campaign in nine attempts and the chances of that statistic expiring last night were always slim. In fact, odds of 12-1 on a home victory look rather short on reflection.
Rodgers gambled when he responded to a shortage of fit defenders by handing just a fifth competitive start to 18-year-old Anthony Ralston. His direct opponent for the evening? Neymar, all £198m’s worth of him.
On two minutes, Neymar skinned Ralston with ease. On three minutes, Ralston flattened Neymar when he tried the same trick. At least the teenager is a quick learner, and there was certainly plenty to take on board here.
He soon learned that the world’s most expensive player can tackle as well, so short-lived was Ralston’s attempt to dribble by the Brazilian moments before PSG’s opener.
That goal arrived on 18 minutes. Yes, Celtic should have had a free-kick when Scott Sinclair was tripped by Thiago Motta. But that foul took place 70 yards from Celtic’s goal. Within five seconds, however, the ball was in the back of the net, Rabiot slipping a cute pass the wrong side of Ralston and Neymar doing the rest with a clipped finish over Gordon.
Former Barcelona star Neymar looks for a way to goal and is monitored by Celtic’s Anthony Ralston
Dani Alves tries to send in a cross as Scott Sinclair attempts to get in the Brazilian’s way
Mbappe, playing in his second match for his new club after moving from Monaco, shield the ball from Jozo Simunovic
Cavani rues a missed chance during the first half – PSG could have had more than their three first-half goals
The striker is beaten in the air by Simunovic and Mikael Lustig but the first half belonged to his team
Defender Marquinhos is sent flying by a tackle from Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths
Simunovic looks dejected as PSG’s players celebrate scoring their opening goal at Parkhead
A fan sprinted onto the pitch during the first half and aimed a kick at PSG forward Mbappe, but missed
Celtic could find themselves in trouble with UEFA after the fan invaded the pitch to take aim at Mbappe
The most striking thing aboutthis PSG side is that they always want the ball. Edge of their own penalty spot with two jerseys closing in? No problem. Nothing, in fact, is a difficulty for them.
Mbappe smashed PSG’s second from Neymar’s headed cushion on 34 minutes and Cavani converted from the penalty spot after being tugged by Jozo Simunovic five minutes before half-time.
Then came the embarrassment of a Celtic supporter running onto the field and aiming a kick at Mbappe. It would easy to say he got closer than his team’s defence had, but he didn’t. It was pathetic and he was rightly booed. UEFA are sure to take action.
Although a behind-closed-doors game against Bayern Munich would at least spare supporters the trauma of a night like this, should the Germans be in the mood.
In the end it was Celtic defender Mikael Lustig who netted PSG’s fourth when he turned in from Julian Draxler’s cross before Cavani headed a fifth.
And what about Draxler, a £34m substitute? Celtic really were lucky it wasn’t seven.
Stewards escorted the man away from the field of play after the incident at Parkhead on Tuesday
Celtic midfielder Scott Brown calls for his side to up their game as they took on the sizable test of playing PSG