Kayleigh van Dooren’s clinical double for Dutch champions Twente ensured defeat for Celtic on their Women’s Champions League debut in Hamilton.
A goal in either half from the Netherlands international made it a first loss of the season for Elena Sadiku’s side.
In their first game at new home, New Douglas Park, the Scottish champions started confidently but Twente’s experience eventually showed on their 10th appearance in Europe’s elite competition.
The visitors handled the early enthusiasm, energy and eagerness of Celtic well, before settling into their groove, exerting dominance and threatening the home goal.
The opener eventually came right before the break when a long ball lifted over Celtic’s defence forced goalkeeper Kelsey Daugherty to race from her goal, inviting Van Dooren to calmly lob the ball into the net.
Celtic have not been used to going behind this season.
But last week against Rangers when they trailed by two, the reaction was razor sharp and they walked away with a point.
Here they carved out a couple of opportunities to respond again but Murphy Agnew and Caitlin Hayes could not take advantage of promising positions in the box.
They were made to pay for those misses when Van Dooren crashed in a powerful second late on to kill the tie and leave Celtic wondering what might have been.
Fine margins. It is a phrase used often, but with good reason.
That’s all that really separated the Scottish and Dutch champions, with the latter carrying a clinical edge to capitalise on Celtic’s brief moments vulnerability.
Centre-back Hayes and goalkeeper Daugherty rarely put a foot wrong at the back but while a miscommunication like the one for the opening goal might not be punished on a Sunday in the Scottish Women’s Premier League, it’s a given at this elite level it will be.
Meanwhile, at the other end, Celtic only managed to hit the target with three of their 10 attempts, and those three ought to have been buried.
It’s a tough lesson to take especially ahead of a trip to face Real Madrid next week amid a hectic schedule.
Sadiku will hope Scotland striker Amy Gallacher, who was absent from the squad entirely, will be back in the mix and winger Lucy Ashworth-Clifford too, who was deemed not fit enough to come on as a second-half substitute.
Their absence was felt, although summer signings Shannon McGregor, Morgan Cross and Emma Lawton, all of whom were recruited from smaller Scottish clubs, showed they are ready to test themselves at a higher level.
A rare defeat will sting Sadiku and Celtic, as will the fact they missed an opportunity to take points in their easiest Group B fixture on paper, with Madrid and Chelsea still to come.
But there are some positives to take before heading to Spain next week.
