Celtic left to count cost of defeat

CELTIC'S collapse in Copenhagen last night brought a virtual guarantee that Gordon Strachan's team will face a monumental assignment in the knockout phase of the Champions League, with their last-16 tie due at the end of February and beginning of March.

The Scottish champions' 3-1 defeat by FC Copenhagen in the final match of Group F left them in second place behind Manchester United, who came from behind to beat Benfica 3-1 at Old Trafford.

As runners-up, Celtic will next face one of the other seven section winners, a list that comprises Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, AC Milan, Olympique Lyonnais, Valencia and Bayern Munich. The prospect may have the Parkhead club's followers salivating, but Strachan was too distraught over the latest embarrassment away from home - their 12th in the tournament without a victory - to raise much enthusiasm.

The manager's disappointment was so deeply felt that he took the unusual step of admitting that his team are beset by problems in the context of top-level European football. He also insisted, with undisguised solemnity, that "I will sort them out, however long it takes."

He added: "I know we've qualified for the last 16 and we should be celebrating with our fans tonight, but the defeat wipes all that away. You can say we have progressed in the Champions league and we are 16 points ahead in our domestic league, but none of that seems to mean much right now.

"It will be better in a day or two, but right now, the disappointment over our performance and the result is overwhelming. I know we have problems, and I will sort them out, I promise you. It may take a while, but I will sort them out between February and March. I recognise our problems, I know what needs to be sorted out and I will do it."

Strachan, predictably, refused to be drawn into reflecting on individual players' performances - Thomas Gravesen and Aiden McGeady, both substituted, were raised - but it was clear that he was unhappy with performances throughout the team.

He said: "The problem in the first half was the shape of our team, which got much better when Naka [Nakamura] came on in the second half. But I won't discuss individual performances. I'll speak to my players face-to-face about these matters, not through the media."

MATCH REPORT, PAGES 70-71