Celtic's pre-game light show would have been as well beaming the bat signal over Paradise.

Hoops boss Ange Postecoglou - or Commissioner Gordon in this scenario - turned to his dynamic goalscoring duo to rescue the club's Europa League dream against Shakhtar Donetsk.

Giorgos Giakoumakis and Kyogo Furuhashi in the same Hoops team? In the Champions League? Had the Aussie taken temporary leave of his senses?

It was a bold selection by Postecoglou. Perhaps the boldest of them all to date.

For only the second time since he took over the Parkhead reins last summer the Celtic manager opted to start with both of his goalscoring talismans in his XI.

It was a win-or-bust situation so fortune favours the brave and all that.

As Postecoglou explained beforehand: "From our perspective we know it's a game we need to win. We're hoping they can complement each other with the team that we have out there. Our starts, particularly here in the Champions League, have been good. Hopefully, with those two out there, we can create the chances we have been and we can take them."

It all seemed to be going to plan when Giakoumakis slammed Celtic in front on 33 minutes. 

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For the statisticians out there it was the Greek's 25th goal in 45 appearances. It was also his 21st goal in 20 starts as he made it five strikes in his last four games. One half of the dynamic duo was clearly living up to the billing.

Mykhaylo Mudryk lashed home an equaliser for Shakhtar Donetsk to make it 1-1 on the night... and that's how it ended.

The Ukrainians had gotten what they came for but not before Kyogo had missed a cinch when he was put one-on-one with Shakhtar goalkeeper Anatolii Trubin.

That miss was, it seemed, a microcosm of Celtic's Champions League Group F campaign.

Ironically in the lead-up to the Shakhtar Donetsk tie, Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart uttered these words: "I think in this competition you get what you deserve." Quite.

The long wait for a Champions League victory at Parkhead goes on. That's now nine years - eight home games - and counting.

The Hoops now travel to Spain for a dead rubber against holders Real Madrid on November 2 in bottom place. Two points out of 15 from five games played and three goals scored from 68 shots on goal tells its own story.

And yet. Celtic have still proved that they can compete at this level.

Celtic Way:

Sometimes that quality is not enough, especially when you are playing at the pinnacle of European club football.

Hart was right: you get what you deserve in this competition.

Celtic got what they deserved because they failed to get the ball in the back of the net when it mattered most. Fine margins indeed.

The club had lofty ambitions at Champions League level and under Postecoglou they are playing an attractive brand of attacking football. They are certainly making progress in both of those; they are definitely on the right road.

The manager and the faithful see the bigger picture too. The 57-year-old is desperate to make an impact at the highest level of club football. He wants to turn Celtic into serial Champions League group stage qualifiers.

This term's campaign has been a steep learning curve in that regard. Postecoglou will hope that it will be a beneficial one and a decent experience overall that will serve Celtic well in years to come.

"It's just about experience and continuing to play at this level and continually striving to improve," the manager pointed out after the match. "That's all it is. There is no magic formula. 

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"The boys are in there disappointed. They are flat - and it shows where our ambitions lie as we want to make an impact in this competition. It is our first time here in five years and we've fallen short.

"It is not anything that can happen very quickly. We want to be a Champions League football club and that only happens with continual presence in this competition. We must be in this competition every year if we want to make an impact.

"You can't go five years without being in it and then expect to compete and make an impact at this level. That is our task and that is our challenge and that is what I mean by becoming a Champions League football club, it's to be there every year."

Ultimately, Celtic were not clinical enough on the biggest stage of them all and thus it was another frustrating night of what-ifs and missed chances against Shakhtar Donetsk.

Even Postecoglou's dynamic duo couldn't rescue their Europa League qualification hopes. As a result, it's over for another year with no continental football after Christmas this season.

At that, Batman's sidekick might well have exclaimed "Holy nightmare!"

But Celtic as a club under Postecoglou must continue to dream. And dream big.