Soccer: Maeda misfires as Celtic's Champions League hopes dashed

Celtic, home to Japan internationals Kyogo Furuhashi, Reo Hatate and Daizen Maeda, crashed out in the group stage of the European Champions League after losing 2-0 at home to Leipzig on Tuesday.

Timo Werner opened the scoring for Leipzig at Celtic Park in the 75th minute and Emil Forsberg doubled the lead nine minutes later.

Japan striker Maeda missed a chance to score with a header soon after the match began.

"I had to score that one," Maeda said. "It's a shame that we lost after we played well in the first half."

Celtic now have three losses and a draw with two matches left to play, leaving them no hope of claiming a top-two spot in Group F and a place in the knockout stage. They can still qualify for the Europa League if they finish third in the group.

Also in Group F, Real Madrid booked a spot in the 16-team knockout stage with a 1-1 draw with Ukraine's Shakhtar Donetsk, with the match played in the Polish capital Warsaw due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

© Kyodo News