RB Leipzig knocked Celtic out of the Champions League, after a 2-0 away victory for the visitors on Tuesday night.
Celtic was hoping to turn things around with a win at home, but they could only gather a point from four group-stage matches.
Matt O’Riley and Greg Taylor struck the woodwork in quick succession and Daizen Maeda and Kyogo Furuhashi also passed up glaring chances for the opener.
But while a top-two finish is now beyond Celtic, their hopes of fetching a Europa League place were boosted by Real Madrid’s late equaliser away to Shakhtar Donetsk, who are now four points ahead in third and visit Glasgow in a fortnight.
O’Riley rattled the base of a post with a 20-yard strike and Taylor pounced on the loose ball only to scuff it on to the bar with the goal at his mercy.
Seconds later, Kyogo hit the woodwork with a gilt-edged header from Sead Haksabanovic’s delivery.
Maeda had set the tone of frustration in the opening seconds, scooping an awkward header inches over, and wasteful finishing is ultimately what has condemned Celtic to an exit with two games to spare.
They were eventually undone by a slick Leipzig outfit that had found Joe Hart in compelling form. The Celtic goalkeeper, who gifted a goal in last week’s defeat in Germany, stuck out a leg to brilliantly deflect Christopher Nkunku’s powerful drive past a post then spread himself to foil Willi Orban.
In the second hhalf, both teams were trying to create chances. Leipzig full-back Mohamed Simakan blazed over at one end, Maeda volleyed Aaron Mooy’s cross wide at the other.
But Leipzig’s growing menace was rewarded when Timo Werner who was the man of the match guided a header from Andre Silva’s drilled cross into the bottom corner.
A night that promised much for Celtic ends with a familiar pang of regret over missed chances and an unwanted Champions League record.
Celtic Manager, Ange Postecoglou said:
“Disappointed for our fans, and for our lads as well. I thought we showed the endeavour to win the game, but as we’ve found out at this level if you don’t take your chances, it’s very hard to convert that into a result.”
It’s been the story of our campaign so far, a tale of missed opportunities. It’s the hardest part of the game, it’s why clubs spend hundreds of millions on players who do that.”
Celtic host Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday (15:00 GMT), the first of three domestic outings before their next Champions League assignment at home to Shakhtar on 25 October (20:00).
