Nygren believes Celtic’s Champions League exit still hurting players

Benjamin Nygren believes Celtic’s Champions League exit in Linz is still hurting the players, now they have to try to move on…

Celtic star Benjamin Nygren has spoke of his own anguish at missing out on Champions League football for the second consecutive year.

Martin O’Neill’s side crashed out at the playoff stage despite a commanding 3-0 first leg lead over Austrian champions LASK helping the hoops put one foot in the door of the prestigious competition.

It all went disastrously wrong for Celtic in Linz 

But it all went disastrously wrong in Linz, and despite being four goals ahead at one stage after Callum McGregor opened the scoring in the second leg. Nygren’s stray pass started the LASK fightback as he and his teammates suffered a damaging 5-1 extra time defeat to see their Champions League dreams go up in flames.

It has been described as the worst ever result in Celtic’s history and it is certainly the lost costly in terms of financial impact on the club. The Swede was also part of the Celtic side who failed at the same stage last year, crashing out on spot kicks to Kazakh minnows Kairat Almaty.

The £60m Champions League disasters

Those two results combined will have cost Celtic at least £60m as the Celtic board gaslight the support pointing out that they are world class in everything that they do.  Maybe in gaslighting but not much else.

We have to try to make the best of the situation,” Benjamin Nygren 

Nygren explained while on international duty (via Daily Record): “It’s tough of course. As a player you always want to play in the biggest tournaments and I’m looking forward to going to the Champions league so much.”

He added: “It’s extra tough especially after we missed out on penalties last year. You have to try to move on as quickly as possible. It can’t sit around for too long, but it’s difficult.

“The fans want us to play in the biggest tournaments just like we do. Of course they’ll be as disappointed as we are. But as it is, we have to try to make the best of the situation.”

Nygren said the club’s recent run had added to the frustration. Celtic has lost three consecutive matches, with two of them coming against bitter Glasgow rivals the Rangers, and speaking whilst on international duty with Sweden, the midfielder has told of he and his teammates disappointment.

“Personally I’ve done very well in many games. I’ve scored a few goals and assisted,” Nygren

“The last week has also been tough with three straight losses, two of which were against Rangers, which was extra tough. It’s been a bit up and down, but personally I’ve done very well in many games. I’ve scored a few goals and assisted.”

Words fail me…

Nygren though is correct in saying that the Celtic players must ‘try to move on’ from the bruising collapse in Linz as he admits that ‘slightly heavier results’ are ramping up frustrations among the support who would perhaps describe the three recent defeats in more accurate terms, like ‘terrible results and performances’ with a few colourful words thrown in too!

“Football really means everything there,” Nygren 

Nygren said: “It’s very difficult to describe, but football really means everything there, which I think is very nice and something you shouldn’t take for granted. I always try to give everything in every match and be a contributing factor to us winning matches.

“Unfortunately, you can’t succeed in every single match and with a slightly heavier result it’s more disappointing, as it should be in such a big club. Every match means a lot and you are expected to win. If you don’t do it, then it’s not good enough. That’s how it is and that’s why I also want to play in a big club.

“I want to win every single match and play under that pressure and that pressure. You grow a lot, both as a player and a person, which I think I have done since I got there.”

Just an Ordinary Bhoy

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