IT was supposed to be the best time for Celtic to play Borussia Moenchengladbach.

The Germans were without four key players, had taken no points from the Champions League and had endured a slow start to their Bundesliga campaign. What more could Brendan Rodgers have asked for on match-day three?

And then this well-drilled, quick, intelligent and adventurous German outfit turned up in Glasgow and played really, really well. How absolutely rude of them.

Ach, who would have ever thought a German team competing in European football’s top competition would be quite good? Anyone with half a brain is the answer to that poser. Celtic would not have under-estimated Borussia. Quite simply, the Scottish champions were outplayed by an excellent team.

Their calmness on the ball when tightly marked, the ability to shift possession from front to back in the blink of an eye and stout defending was impressive. This was a tough night at Celtic. It was a sobering experience even those who had partaken in a pint or six beforehand.

Borussia Moenchangladbach became only the third club to win at Parkhead in this format of the competition. They were well worth it.

The return match is going to be something of a challenge, as now will Celtic’s attempt to finish third in Group C. This was some reality check; however, don’t rule out Rodgers and his players quite yet - but they were a distant second best here.

That game’s first goal came from that rarest of things, a Kolo Toure mistake. However, apart for this error of judgement, the big fella was terrific.

He cost Celtic the square root of nothing in the summer and this transfer might just turn out to be the best money the club have never spent.

The night might not have gone to plan for his team or him; however, the centre-half made goal-saving tackles, won headers, put in blocks and organised the defence from first to last minute.

But even he wasn’t immune to the pressure Borussia exerted on his team all evening.

It was also a good night for Craig Gordon even if the ball went though his legs at the opener. He could have done little about that or the second.

The fact he’s a top professional and not one to spit a dummy meant he went away when dropped, worked on his kicking and got back into the team. He made three fine saves in the first half hour alone. Good on him.

But stars of the match played for the Germans.

It began in the right manner with a spine-tingling You’ll Never Walk Alone and the hope for those home fans was their team would start as they did against Manchester City. But it became clear from the first few minutes that the visitors from Germany could play a bit and then some.

Three times Moenchengladbach broke down the left hand side, Kieran Tierney seemed to have two men to mark, but all the crosses were blocked and cleared

Borussia were getting too much space in the middle of the park and when you allow good players time to pass the ball and create chances they are going to do just that. Gordon made a superb save on 17 minutes to deny Ibrahima Traore whose shot could only have been seen by the goalkeeper at the last possible the second.

The crowd were quiet at this stage, at least by the standards of Celtic Park, except the impressive travelling support who never shut up or stood still.

Those wearing green and white scarves could tell early on that this was going to be a tense old night – and they were right.

Gordon made another fine save getting two hands to a rocket of a shot from Jonas Hofmann who on this evidence is a hell of a footballer. It wasn’t long before Gordon was made to work again; Hofmann with another shot.

It was testing first-half. Celtic weren’t at it; however, their struggles weren’t entirely self-inflicted. The thing was that Borussia are a good team

On 37 minutes big Toure exemplified his magnificence by spotting that Tobia Strobl was going to break into the box, got across to the midfielder and produced a superb goal-saving tackle with not a nanosecond to spare.

According to UEFA, Celtic enjoyed 54 per cent of possession in the half. Not one person inside the ground would have guessed that.

Then Toure made a bad mistake. He was trying to usher out the ball on the byline when Andre Hahn nicked it off him and Stindl put his shot through the legs of Gordon. It will not have gone un-noticed by Rodgers that his team had the ball and were on the attack when a slack pass from Rogic in the German’s half coughed up possession.

And it was all over with 15 minutes to go. Hahn scored the second when Celtic, pressing for an equaliser, were caught out at the back.

You have to conclude that Rodgers and his team will now have to go to Germany and win if his team are to finish third given what is coming up after the next game.

Let's hope that it will be a good time for Celtic to play Borussia Moenchengladbach because this match certainly wasn't. .