Matt O'Riley 'annoyed' with Celtic-Real Madrid scoreline: 'We proved we can beat them'

Matt O'Riley insists Celtic proved they can beat the top clubs in Europe after missing a catalogue of chances in the 3-0 Champions League defeat to Real Madrid on Tuesday.

The Parkhead side passed up a number of opportunities - and also hit the inside of the post - before Madrid ran away with the contest in the second-half thanks to goals from Vinicius Junior, Luka Modric and Eden Hazard.

Midfielder O'Riley admitted the the scoreline left him annoyed as he felt it did not tell the full picture of a match where the defending champions were on the rack for much of the opening 50 minutes.

Praising the home fans for their backing, the Danish Under-21 international believes Celtic can go on to claim a major scalp in Europe if they can learn to be more ruthless in front of goal.

“I’m just really frustrated with the game, it’s a wasted opportunity because the fans were unbelievable," he said. "We could’ve repaid them by just taking a few of our chances, that’s why it’s annoying.

“Our supporters, it’s like one of the biggest clubs in the world – so we want to repay them by competing against these teams and actually winning games like this.

“I think we’ve proven we can if we’re just a little bit more ruthless, have that bit more cutting edge in the final third.

“That’s just the difference.

Celtic's Matt O'Riley challenges Eden Hazard of Real Madrid during the Champions League match at Parkhead on Tuesday. (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group)

“We know how good a side [Madrid] are, they control the game really well.

“But I think they only controlled it once they took the lead.

“If we took the first goal, and I think the first goal was massive, then it could’ve been a different matter.

“The first 55 minutes or so, I’d say we were the better team in terms of the better chances.

“But, it was a lesson for us. There’s loads to learn for us, including for me personally.

“It just shows the difference at the very top level, they’re just so ruthless.

“We obviously can compete with these teams, we’ve proven that. But the result doesn’t show that and it’s disappointing.”

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