RYAN CHRISTIE has blamed Celtic’s devastating exit from Champions League qualifying on their lack of street-smarts as they crashed out to Romanian champions Cluj on a topsy-turvy night in Glasgow.

Christie thought he had sent Celtic through to the play-offs as he scored to move Celtic 3-2 ahead on the night with a little over 10 minutes remaining, but Cluj remarkably hit back to score twice in the closing stages to snatch a famous victory.

And Christie believes that his side only have themselves to blame for failing to see the game out from winning positions.

“You can’t really concede four goals at home in Champions League football and expect to go through.,” said Christie.

“Going into the game after a 1-1 in the away leg, we need to be more street-smart, especially going up twice in the game not managing to see it out.

“It’s a very bitter pill to swallow so early in the season.

“The guys are gutted. We are devastated. Not just because everyone wants to play Champions League football or thinks we deserve to be there, but, as I said, you can’t lose four goals at home and expect to go through.

“Conceding the first goal wasn’t good. We knew their main strength was getting balls into the box with their height and they are very direct, so for them to get a throw in and a ball into the box so easily was very naive from us.

“But going into the second half and going ahead twice, especially the second time with about 15 minutes to go, then you can’t really be losing the game 4-3.

We had 11 players on the park that should be able to beat Cluj at home, it’s that simple.

“We’ve not done that, and for me I don’t think it’s anything to do with tactics or individual errors, it’s a collective.

“Over 90 minutes we weren’t good enough.”

Christie says it will be difficult for Celtic to lift themselves for Saturday’s League Cup tie against Dunfermline as well as next week’s Europa League qualifier after such a disappointment.

“Right now, for me, it’s all very raw,” he said. “Over the next few days, we can look back and analyse it a bit more and try to learn from it.

that we have to bounce back.

“To have such a devastating result so early in the season, it’s now really going to be a test of our character.

“We need to bounce back straight away at the weekend, because that’s obviously a competition we want to stay in as well.

“Then, when next Thursday come along, we have to be right back at it again.

“It’s the good thing about football that the next game is never too far away to right their wrongs.”