How did Celtic head coach Elena Sadiku sum up her side’s Women’s Champions League debut?
“Proud, but disappointed,” the 30-year-old said.
That reaction told of the application shown by the first Scottish side to take part in the group stages, but was also a sign of the chance squandered to take points on their European bow.
Dutch champions Twente taught them a lesson in lethal finishing, while Sadiku too left the game at New Douglas Park with a few learnings about this Champions League caper.
There is unsurprisingly “a big difference” between this level and the SWPL. From fitness to tempo to movement, it’s a different ball game, with the moments of opportunity so important.
Celtic enjoyed a prolonged period of pressure in the second half, but were profligate and punished in a manner they are familiar with deploying themselves domestically.
One long ball over the top and bang. Goal. One cutback from the bye-line and bang. Goal.
“I’m disappointed with the goals we let in, I don’t think they created too many other chances,” Sadiku explained. “We had chances and we didn’t execute them.
“But I am proud, it was a great effort and the girls fought very well.
“The Champions League, being in the group stages, it’s a big difference to being in Scotland, and that experience we need to learn from.”
And learn fast they must with Spanish heavyweights Real Madrid waiting next week and Women’s Super League champions Chelsea after that.
‘We’ll fix our errors and take confidence’
Against those two teams, who met last night at Stamford Bridge, you would once more expect Celtic to be in the unfamiliar position as the underdog, the team on the back foot.
Though that eventually transpired in Hamilton, the SWPL champions came flying out of the blocks, relishing the challenge in front of them.
But once the excitement of their new surroundings wore off, reality soon hit.
Twente – competing in the competition for the 10th time – were streetwise. They know what this competition demands. They rode out the early wave of Celtic’s energy then pounced and pinned them into their own defensive third. They toyed with the hosts at times.
“We are where we are but we need to get fitter, we need to control the ball when we have it, we need to be brave and play out from the pressure like we did in the first 15 minutes,” Sadiku added.
“The movement, the pace with and without the ball. When we defend that much, we need to be fitter so that when we have the ball, we can relax.
“We concede the first goal late in the half, does that have something to do with fatigue? The second goal, we concede late in the game, so could that have something to do with it?”
“We’ll learn from this and take confidence, because they should be confident.”
That confidence comes from a second-half rally. As they did in the first, Celtic came out quick and alert from the restart and created chances they should have made count.
But ultimately they didn’t, and Kayleigh van Dooren’s late goal ensured a Twente victory. A stage this grand is unforgiving, as Celtic discovered.
It is all a learning curve, though. This is unchartered territory for a side few – if any – thought would be dining at this table when Sadiku came in just 10 months ago. A point she is keen to reiterate.
“There are errors we need to fix,” the head coach added.
“I don’t know how much people are expecting from us to be in the top 16, what we’re doing right now is we’re going to fight. We’ll try to do everything to get as many points as possible.
“In January or in the summer, I don’t think anyone expected us to be where we are right now.
“It’s been a great experience, we’ll learn and I think we can really put in a better performance for our next game.”
