Ange Postecoglou set his Celtic team up to attack against Real Madrid - and it was a strategy that nearly paid off, as the Scottish champions gave the defending kings of Europe a real headache in the first half.
They would have counted themselves unlucky not to have been ahead before Real broke the deadlock through Vinicius Jr. Though the 3-0 final score was a fair reflection of the quality on show, it said nothing of the spirit shown by Celtic on their return to the Champions League.
Celtic manager Postecoglou's decision to set his team up to attack was one which ultimately caught his team out - but RTÉ pundit Richie Sadlier was adamant he had made the right call in setting his team up that way.
Richie Sadlier says Postecoglou was right to set Celtic up for attack
Ange Postecoglou must have known that it would be a tall order to get the better of European champions Real Madrid on the opening night of the Champions League.
For a few moments, however, it felt as though Celtic might do just that.
'Given the gulf in class between the two squads, there's no shame in Celtic going out the way they did'
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It would ultimately end 3-0 to Real Madrid, and questions would be asked of whether Postecoglou was right to have thrown his weight behind such an attacking game plan.
Richie Sadlier defended the Australian on RTÉ post-match. He pointed out that it is a game plan built around the players, and one which continues to work week-in-week-out for Celtic. He said that there was no other way in which Postecoglou could have set his team up:
I think this is the inevitable line of questioning if they were to lose tonight to Real Madrid, particularly if the scoreline was more than a couple of goals.
Go back to what we said beforehand - Celtic are set up to play a particular way. The signings were made because they fit in to that way of playing, and they're wildly successful at it.
You're asking there - if they'd been a bit more conservative, maybe a bit less gung-ho going forward, but maybe more players in the back, would it have changed? In a little while, we'll show all the chances Celtic created - I don't think they could have played any other system that would have helped them create even more chances.
Like I said before the game, you can be competing in a game against Real Madrid, there can even be spells where you are on top, you can feel confident, you can have the better of them - and then, in no time at all, you can be a goal or two down, which is exactly how it went.
I think Celtic will get a lot from that performance tonight.
I think given the gulf in class between the two squads, I don't think there's any shame in Celtic going out the way they did.
It was certainly an encouraging performance from Celtic, and Ange Postecoglou will take heart from the game, despite the 3-0 defeat.
Defeat, however, leaves Celtic chasing their Champions League fate, and they travel to face Shakhtar Donetsk in Warsaw next Wednesday in a huge clash. If they play like they did in the first half against Real Madrid, they will give themselves a fighting chance.
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