Celtic went to Turin in search of a miraculous recovery tonight against Juventus in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.
The Italian champions put the tie beyond doubt after 24 minutes when Alessandro Matri tapped home from close range.
Neil Lennon's side were left to look back at a 5-0 aggregate defeat as Fabio Quagliarella added gloss to the scoreline after the break.
Here, Sports Mole looks back on a night when Celtic's memorable run in Europe came to a close.
Match statistics:
Juventus:
Shots 8
On target 6
Possession 44%
Corners 1
Fouls 14
Celtic:
Shots 13
On target 7
Possession 56%
Corners 3
Fouls 11
Was the result fair?
Celtic did not deserve to lose on the night and had enough chances throughout to at the very least register a goal in the tie. Juve followed a similar blueprint to the first leg and were clinical on the counter to expose the visitors' defensive deficiencies on two occasions.
Juventus's performance
Antonio Conte's men were efficient and pressed the action to win back possession impressively on a number of occasions. A back three without a rested Georgio Chiellini were resolute, while Gianluigi Buffon was nothing short of his brilliant best. Andrea Pirlo was relatively quiet but still delivered a pinpoint pass to create Quagliarella's goal just after the interval.
Celtic's performance
Lennon can take a number of positives from his side's spirited display. Joe Ledley and Beram Kayal controlled the midfield for long spells and Georgios Samaras looked dangerous throughout. One area that will leave him frustrated is a lapse in concentration for Juve's first goal. Fraser Forster and Kelvin Wilson should both have done better and at this level any mistakes in defence will be punished routinely.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Andrea Barzagli: The uncompromising defender typified Juve's battling qualities with a performance that restricted Gary Hooper to a single missed chance. Chiellini's absence was barely noticeable, which is just about the biggest compliment you can pay to the impressive centre-back.
Biggest gaffe
Fraser Forster will know his spill from Quagliarella's initial drive allowed Matri an easy opener. The English goalkeeper has set high standards this season and a rare mistake killed off any remote chance of a Celtic fightback after a bright start.
Referee performance
Firat Aydinus enjoyed a relatively quiet evening, in stark contrast to the first leg which was marred for Celtic by the official's stubborn refusal to award a penalty. The Turkish referee booked Federico Peluso early on and his stance led to a game that passed without major fouls or contentious decisions.
What next?
Celtic: The Bhoys return to Scottish Premier League action as their march towards a domestic double continues at Ross County.
Juventus: A tricky match against European contenders Catania awaits the Old Lady on Sunday in Serie A.
Liam Power
