While Celtic lost 2-0 at the hands of RB Leipzig, as their hopes of making the last 16 of the competition went up in smoke, one player who did manage to stand out on the occasion was Sead Haksabanovic. The club signed him from Rubin Kazan this summer and it looks like they are on to a winner here.
Haksabanovic has struggled to attain full fitness since moving to Glasgow, as he missed pre-season. But once he does that and adjusts to the Scottish game, the Hoops should have quite a player on their hands.
Haksabanovic hardly put a foot wrong against RB Leipzig. He looked extremely polished and composed on the ball, and his delivery was excellent as well. The Montenegro international did look a cut above on the night.
And it looks like he has already taken a liking to his new club as well, which can only help him settle in. Following the match, he wrote on his Instagram story:
"“In love with this club, special night starting my first game in front of our fans, y’all made it a dream come true even though the result is not what we wanted but we are gonna fight like nothing else, let’s keep our heads up and keep going.”"
Haksabanovic sends beautiful message to Celtic fans after losing to RB Leipzig
Haksabanovic’s performance on the night deserved a goal or an assist. And the Hoops did have their fair share of chances on the night as well, especially in the middle of the first half.
But as has been the story of their Champions League campaign till now, they could not take them, even when at times it was easier to score than miss.
Ultimately, at this level, you are going to get punished if you don’t take your chances and that is exactly what happened with Celtic on this occasion.
At the same time, it is also important to not lose sight of the bigger picture. This is a team that is playing Champions League football after a long gap and their performances have been nothing to scoff at. Ange Postecoglou could be on to something here, if he can just help his side find their scoring boots.