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Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic fell to a 2-0 defeat in Germany at the hands of RB Leipzig on Thursday night. The Europa League group stage fixture marked the Bhoys’ second defeat of the competition so far, making qualification to the knockout stages a somewhat unlikely prospect for the reigning Scottish champions.
Rodgers’ season got off to a rocky start as Celtic failed to qualify for the Champions League group stage for the first time in his tenure. Elimination from the group stage in the Europa League would add insult to injury.
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The defeat at the hands of the Bundesliga side was a bitter blow for the Glasgow giants and could permanently stain the club’s campaign should it ultimately prove fatal to their European ambitions.
However, one positive the former Liverpool boss may take from Thursday night’s defeat is the eye-catching performance of Kieran Tierney. The young left-back turned in a high quality display that will only serve to further boost his rapidly growing reputation.
The 21-year-old was both solid defensively and the visitors’ greatest creative threat in an attacking sense. He produced two key passes against Leipzig, whereas none of his teammates could muster more than one.
He was also very involved in the game generally, managing 99 touches – again, the most of any Celtic player – and 65 passes. His relatively poor pass accuracy rating of just 76.9% reflects how aggressive and inventive he was striving to be in his efforts to produce some attacking momentum for his side.
On top of his offensive endeavours, Tierney was also reliable at the back. No other Celtic player produced as many as his five interceptions. The 12-cap Scotland international was also on hand to contribute two successful tackles to his team’s cause and he also managed to block two opposition shots on goal.
One what was an otherwise bleak night for Brendan’s boys, Tierney showed his quality.
