THERE was to be no repeat of the two epic victories which Celtic had recorded over Barcelona in Europe in the past. Nor will there be a fourth foray into the knockout stages of the Champions League for the Parkhead club this season.
A double from Lionel Messi killed off their hopes not just of marking the 50th anniversary of their European Cup-winning season with another famous triumph over the tournament favourites but also of finishing third in their section and progressing.
With Borussia Moenchengladbach holding Manchester City to a 1-1 draw in Germany at the same time as Celtic were losing 2-0 to Barcelona, there is now no hope of them going through to either the last 16 of the Champions League or even the last 32 of the Europa League. The final game against City away next month will be meaningless.
Yet, none of that should be allowed to detract from what was a spirited showing by Brendan Rodger's side. They more than competed with Luis Enrique's star-studded team for long periods of this compelling Group C match. They were deservedly applauded off the park at the end of a 90 minutes to which they contributed hugely.
Had they taken their opportunities in front of goal - of which they had more than a few - then the final outcome could easily have been rather different. This showing, and others like it in Europe this term, augurs well for the future under a manager who, it is worth remembering, has only been at the club for a matter of months.
Rodgers, not surprisingly given who his team was facing, had named a more defensive starting line-up. Jozo Simunovic came back in to partner Erik Svatchenko in the heart of a four man back line with Mikael Lustig and Emilio Izaguirre on either side of them. But Callum McGregor was preferred to both James Forrest and Patrick Roberts ahead of them.
Messi had made a full recovery from the stomach bug which ruled him out of the league game against Malaga at the weekend and took his place in the Barcelona starting line-up alongside Neymar and Luis Suarez.
Rodgers had demanded the same fast start which his team had got off to in their 3-3 draw with City earlier in the campaign and he got it. Brown put in an uncompromising, but legitimate, tackle on Sergio Busquets in the fifth minute that left his opposite number clutching his ankle. It was an indication the home would not be bullied.
Scott Sinclair, positioned wide on the left of the 4-1-4-1 formation which Rodgers switched to, was involved in most of Celtic’s best attacking moves. The winger played a neat one-two with Stuart Armstrong inside him before having his path to goal obstructed and also saw his cut back to Moussa Dembele forced out for a corner kick. The home team controlled the early passages of play and looked the likelier to score.
In many respects, they were taking on, and beating, their opponents at their own game. Their one-touch passing, constant movement on and off the ball and relentless work rate when they were in possession and tracking back was redolent of Barcelona at their very best. The confidence of their play was impressive given the calibre of the side they were facing.
Celtic had, however, to make their dominance count by scoring and they failed in that objective. Barcelona can net in the blink of an eye and they gave their first glimpse of what they are capable of going forward in the ninth minute when Neymar linked well with Messi causing havoc in the Celtic box. They were just warming up.
Messi shot wide shortly afterwards wen he received the ball from Jordi Alba, Ivan Rakitic also missed is intended target with a downward header after also being supplied by Alba and Craig Gordon produced an excellent instinctive save from Andre Gomes at a Neymar corner. It was no surprise to anybody inside the stadium when the goal arrived.
Simunovic and Sviatchenko had fared well against such daunting opposition and had even gone so far as to instigate attacks. But they, along with Lustig and Izaguirre, were left flat footed as Neymar dinked the ball over their heads and Messi breezed in and slotted past Gordon.
Celtic, beaten by a record 7-0 scorline by Barcelona in the Nou Camp in September, could easily have panicked at that stage. The opposite was true. They redoubled their efforts to score and were unfortunate not to level. Dembele brought a fine save from Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
Gordon denied Suarez with another excellent parry after Messi had cut into the Celtic area from wide on the right and floated the ball across to the striker on the edge of the six yard box. But Barcelona had soon been caught on the counter attack.
Only a cynical challenge on Sinclair by Alba, who was booked by Italian match official Daniele Orsato for his blatant foul as his counterpart received medical attention, halted the dangerous surge upfield. Sinclair failed to appeal for the second half as a result of the injury he suffered and was replaced by Forrest.
It was heartening to see so many Scottish players acquit themselves so well against such outstanding adversaries. Armstrong was superb as was Scott Brown alongside him and McGregor more than justified his surprise selection. The latter tested ter Stegen early in the second half.
Forrest floated a high ball in to Dembele in the 53rd minute and the striker managed to get his effort on target. But it lacked power and was easily gathered. Celtic once again were punished for failing to make the best of their opportunities.
Barcelona were awarded a penalty three minutes later when Orsato ruled that Izaguirre was ad held back Suarez. When Messi stepped forward to take the spot kick there was only one outcome. Gordon dive to his left as the shot went to his right.
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