Brendan Rodgers' side face Europa League exit

There is, though, precious little prospect of his team doing either on the evidence of this costly first leg defeat at Parkhead last night.

READ MORE: How the Celtic players rated in the Europa League encounter

The Scottish champions will have to produce a famous comeback against their Spanish rivals in the Mestalla next Thursday evening in order to progress to the next round of the competition.

Given how comfortable their opponents were away from home it is highly unlikely they will prevail and survive. Challenging for silverware on the continent in future seems an unrealistic prospect too.

A contentious first-half goal – there were appeals for a foul on Callum McGregor as well as offside in the build-up to it - from Denis Cheryshev and a Ruben Sobrino strike early in the second made for a sobering night for the home supporters.

Scott Bain's claims for offside go unheeded by officials

Rodgers’ charges rallied after falling two behind. But the huge gulf in quality between the Ladbrokes Premiership leaders and the La Liga club was apparent throughout. Neto, the Valencia goalkeeper, was barely tested during the course of the 90 minutes. The same could hardly be said of his opposite number Scott Bain.

Having gone out at this stage in the competition to Zenit St Petersburg of Russia last season, it seems almost certain Celtic will suffer the same fate next week and will have to concentrate on maintaining their domestic dominance in the remainder of the 2018/19 campaign.

READ MORE: Celtic 0 Valencia 2: Five things we learned as the Spaniards show their Europa League class

Celtic certainly started well. Ryan Christie got away a tame shot that Neto held with little difficulty in just the second minute. McGregor did better with another long-range attempt shortly after that, but, once again, the keeper was equal to it.

Rodgers had been keen to bring Cristiano Piccini to Celtic from Sporting Lisbon last year and was disappointed to be outbid by Valencia. When Scott Sinclair turned the Italian and raced away from the right back in the 17th minute that failure seemed no bad thing. The winger was unable to pick out a team mate with a pass and gave the ball away.

Scott Sinclair in action against Valencia

Bain, making his European debut for Celtic, produced a fine save a moment later to keep the scoreline level. He palmed a Daniel Wass header wide for a corner. The scare silenced the hitherto buoyant home support. It was a taste of what was to come. The away team had soon taken complete control of proceedings.

Rodgers had his programme notes printed in Spanish as well as English for the benefit of the travelling supporters. His team were also accommodating hosts. They gifted the visitors possession in some dangerous areas playing the ball out from the back.

Scott Brown was the chief culprit. His passing left a great deal to be desired. He was fortunate his slack deliveries weren’t punished by a goal. Bain, too, made some questionable decisions when shelling the ball to safety may have been the better option. The keeper and his captain almost teed up a chance for Cheryshev on the edge of their area after a shocking mix-up in the 20th minute.

Scott Brown remonstrates with the match official

Celtic did create one good scoring opportunity on the counter attack eight minutes before half-time. McGregor did well to release Sinclair whose through ball sent lone striker Oliver Burke in on Neto. The Brazilian, though, raced quickly off the line and cleared the danger.

The former Champions League finalists edged in front against the one-time European Cup winners three minutes before half-time. McGregor gave the ball away to Sobrino who had acres of space to run into thanks to Emilio Izaguirre being posted missing. There were cries for offside around the ground, but the match official and his assistants ruled the left back had played the forward on.

Bain was cruelly exposed by his defence and Cheryshev had the simplest of tasks to net from a few yards out after Sobrino had slid the ball in to him. It was the worst possible time for Celtic to fall behind. However, it was by no means against the run of play and they had only themselves to blame.

Valencia celebrate their second goal against Celtic

Daniel Parejo, the Valencia captain and attacking midfielder, had been an injury doubt before the game. But he started and enjoyed an excellent opening 45 minutes in the middle of the park. It was a setback for his team when he failed to reappear for the second-half. But Francis Coquelin, the former Arsenal midfielder, was a none too shabby replacement.

The loss of their talisman certainly didn’t hinder Valencia. They forged further ahead just four minutes after the start of the second-half. Cheryshev broke down the left wing before whipping a cross in to Sobrino who was waiting unmarked in the Celtic box. Bain had absolutely no chance.

Sobrino fires home from close range to seal an away victory

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Rodgers made a double substitution 10 minutes after his men fell two behind. He took off Sinclair and Christie and put on Timothy Weah and Odsonne Edouard respectively.

The latter had a strong claim for a penalty dismissed by Romanian referee Ovidiu Hategan shortly after taking to the field after being barged over by Piccini. It was that kind of night for his Celtic.

Edouard made a real difference to his side with his powerful forward runs as did putting two players up front. But when Marcelino replaced scorer and provider Cheryshev with Goncalo Guedes, his record €40 million summer signing who has just returned to action after a lengthy injury layoff, it kind of summed up what Celtic were up against.