Celtic Player Ratings as no player impresses in Dortmund

Kasper Schmeichel – It is never a good look when the goalkeeper is Celtic’s best player on the night. Even still, it was the number one that got the ball rolling for the home side, as he took down Jamie Gittens after the England winger was one-on-one with the keeper. He made a couple of vital saves to try and keep the score down, though that was not enough as Dortmund scored at will on the night. Perhaps he could have done better with Karim Adeyemi’s second concerning his angle, though the shot was strong. A long night for the Denmark legend, his busiest as a Celtic keeper thus far. 5

Alistair Johnston – There have been question marks over just how good Johnston is at the European level, after sketchy performances last campaign. In truth, he suffered against Gittens, as the young winger looked up for the battle on the right side of the pitch. Still, he did not shy away from the task – especially in the second half – as he never let his head drop, putting in a couple of decent defensive challenges following the restart. Even still, his dispossession of the ball for Dortmund’s sixth was unforgivable at this level. The jury is out at this level for Johnston, though he is not the only one in that camp. 3

Auston Trusty – One of the poorest performers on the night, Trusty struggled to deal with both the pace of Adeyemi and Gittens, as well as the strength of Guirassy up front. Bullied by the imposing forward, Trusty looked like a deer in headlights at Signal Iduna Park, with the American looking very unconvincing against the might of Borussia Dortmund. A sloppy showing from the defender, who will be hoping to build up some form of consistency over the next few months, especially with the persistent injury woes concerning Cameron Carter-Vickers. Better required from the centre-back. 3

Liam Scales – Despite how good Scales has been for Celtic this season domestically (and versus Slovan Bratislava), he looked like a fish out of water tonight. Granted, the level rises when you play against teams like Borussia Dortmund but conceding the amount of goals that Celtic did tonight will not look good for any defender. Like Trusty, Scales struggled to deal with the physicality of Guirassy, though that has been commonplace in Germany for the past two years or so. A disappointing night for the Irishman. 3

Greg Taylor – A torrid 45 minutes for the Scotland international, who was torn apart by Adeyemi on the left side of the pitch. He did provide the brilliant cross that led to Celtic’s equaliser – for the two or so minutes that they got back on level terms. Perhaps he was rushed back too quickly, after being taken off at half-time in Perth. After a long opening half, the left-back was replaced by Alex Valle at the break. 3

Callum McGregor – Perhaps a victim of his stature and lack of physical presence, the Celtic captain was overrun by Dortmund’s midfield and attack, as the in-form skipper struggled to get anything going at Signal Iduna Park. Committing unforced errors on more than one occasion, the former Scotland international had a tough night against Dortmund, which included a torrid opening 45 minutes in particular for McGregor. Perhaps this is an area that Celtic need to look at bolstering if they are to strengthen in the midfield going forward. His worst performance of the season, which had been so good up to this point. 3

Paulo Bernardo – There was a lot of clamouring for Bernardo to start this game in place of Reo Hatate, especially after recent performances back home domestically. In truth, the whole midfield struggled in this game, but the Portugal U21 international was utterly anonymous for the 45 minutes he was on the park. After contributing nothing of note positively, he was hooked in place of the aforementioned Japan midfielder at the break. 3

Arne Engels – A sobering night for the record-signing, who put in his worst performance as a Celtic player by a considerable distance, against the team he made his Bundesliga debut for Augsburg. Slack on the ball, it would be his softness that would allow Dortmund to get going, whereas his lazy leg would clip Adeyemi in the box, giving the referee no choice but to point to the spot again. You expect more from an £11 million signing, though he was not the only one to have an off night, in fairness. He will bounce back from this unenjoyable experience. 3

Nicolas Kuhn – Definitely not the homecoming that the German winger would have wanted, Kuhn was left to feed on scraps, as much of the deliveries came to Maeda on the opposite wing. Apart from a half chance which he passed back to the keeper early in the second half, he was largely anonymous for the duration of the tie. He was replaced by Yang Hyun-jun after an hour played. Expected more from the in-form man on the right-hand side. 3

Kyogo Furuhashi – Was a spectator for the first half, as his involvement was extremely limited due to Dortmund’s dominance and the lack of service when Celtic did get a hold of the ball. Even though he did drop back to try and make a nuisance of himself on the defensive end, it was a night to forget for the Japan striker. Replaced by Adam Idah with 25 minutes to go. 3

Daizen Maeda – The one shining light in what was a largely painful opening 45 minutes for Celtic, Maeda got the visitors back on level terms – though only for a couple of minutes. Full of running, as usual, Maeda would directly contribute to Dortmund’s fifth by way of a slack touch, which Adeyemi took advantage of. You know what you are going to get with the Japan winger – both good and bad – though there was unfortunately more of the latter from Maeda than the former. 5

Subs:

Alex Valle – Looked bright when on the attack when Celtic got forward in the second half, the Spain left-back looked comfortable when bringing the ball into the Dortmund half, though he looked suspect defensively at times. A work in progress, that needs game time to develop. 4

Reo Hatate – A mixed showing from the Japan midfielder, who looked bright in parts and so slack in possession at other points. A couple of nice passages of play, though his decision-making on the ball can leave a lot to be desired at times. 3

Yang Hyun-jun – Did not impact the game whatsoever. A major improvement is required from the South Korean if he is to have any future at the club. 1

Adam Idah – Provided a bit of an out-ball despite the game being long over as a contest. Would have scored if he had managed more of a connection on his header from a couple of yards out. 3

Tony Ralston – Came on late for Johnston, who looked to have picked up a knock. 1