Celtic suffer Champions League nightmare in 7-1 defeat to Borussia Dortmund

Celtic’s strong start to the season came to a crashing stop as the Premiership title-holders were thumped 7-1 by Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.

Karim Adeyemi netted a hat-trick, Serhou Guirassy grabbed two goals and Emre Can and Felix Nmecha were on the scoresheet as the hosts ran riot, with Daizen Maeda’s early goal the only bright spot for Celtic on a sobering night.

Celtic took to the pitch with a perfect record this season, their winning run including a 5-1 victory over Slovan Bratislava in their Champions League opener.

Dortmund had found goals easy to come by and had defeated Club Brugge 3-0 on matchday one as they looked to build on last season’s run to the final of the elite competition.

Almost straight from kick-off Dortmund had a scare when Emre Can stretched for the ball and looked to have suffered an ankle injury. He soon returned to his feet and was ready to play his part in an explosive start to the game.

Just six minutes in, Jamie Gittens got the benefit of a ricochet and raced in on goal, only for Kasper Schmeichel to race out and upend the winger without getting anything on the ball.

Referee Jose Sanchez pointed to the spot and Can stepped up to give the hosts an early lead.

Celtic responded almost immediately. Arne Engels took possession and carried the ball on the right before swinging in a cross that Can failed to deal with, allowing Maeda to dart in and bundle the ball into the net.

Two minutes later Dortmund were ahead once more. Adeyemi used his pace to get free from his marker and let fly with a shot that deflected off Auston Trusty and past Schmeichel.

After a breathless start, the action settled down but the Bundesliga side continued to show their danger, particularly when their pacy front line took possession. Schmeichel was called on to stop a Serhou Guirassy shot from a tight angle and Celtic’s defence were constantly looking to shut out danger, particularly from Julian Brandt.

With just under half an hour played, Dortmund scored their third. A corner was cleared but only as far as Adeyemi, who looked to be in a position where a cross was more likely than a shot but he rifled an unstoppable shot inside Schmeichel’s near post for his second goal.

Dortmund scored their fourth in the fortieth minute and again it came from the penalty spot. Adeyemi was caught by Engels as he looked to bring the ball under control and the spot kick was awarded. Guirassy took responsibility this time and lashed a powerful shot past Schmeichel from 12 yards.

Things went from bad to worse as the Scottish champions found themselves 5-1 down just two minutes later. Adeyemi got his hat-trick, seizing on a mistake from Callum McGregor and clinically hitting his finish low into the corner of the goal.

Brendan Rodgers made two changes at half time in an attempt to stem the tide, bringing Reo Hatate and Alex Valle on for Paulo Bernardo and Greg Taylor.

Dortmund were forced into a change just two minutes after the restart when Adeyemi was forced off but the hat-trick scorer’s exit didn’t change the direction of play.

Celtic were finding it hard to get on the front foot but when a long pass released Nicolas Kuhn in behind the opposition defence, his weak effort failed to trouble Gregor Kobel.

Just after the hour mark both sides made further changes, with Rodgers opting to introduce Yang and Adam Idah for Kuhn and Kyogo.

The change in personnel didn’t alter the balance of the game, with Dortmund adding their sixth shortly after.

Celtic tried to play out from the back and a pass from Johnston ceded possession to the hosts. A quick attack put the ball in to Guirassy’s feet and he sidestepped Liam Scales before slotting in a low finish past Schmeichel.

Hatate curled a shot from distance just over the bar as Celtic looked to take some positives but Dortmund were secure in their victory and happy to sit back a little and make sure they didn’t take any risks.

Idah almost grabbed a second when Valle’s cross was deflected and the striker angled a header that looked to be going over the line but Kobel pounced to stop it.

Moments later, Dortmund struck again, Celtic giving the ball away and failing to clear before Nmecha slammed in a powerful low shot to make it 7-1.

It could have been eight when Julien Duranville raced clear of the defence but Schmeichel raced out to block once again and Nmecha just missed out on the rebound.

Idah had a half-chance on the counter, and Engels was close to finishing from a Maeda cross in the final minutes but the contest was already long over.

Celtic’s winning start to the season had ended in brutal fashion and the team will now look to lift their campaign again when they travel to face Atalanta later this month.