Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has insisted that there is "no embarrassment" in his side falling to defeat at the hands of Gibraltan part-timers Lincoln Red Imps this evening.
Rodgers's reign at the club got off to a nightmare start as the Bhoys were humiliated in his first competitive match at the helm, losing 1-0 in a result that some have described as the worst in the club's history.
However, the former Liverpool manager insists that his side are not panicking and will bounce back for the second leg of the Champions League qualifying tie next week.
"A game that we dominated and had enough chances to score, but sometimes it can happen in games like that, one ball up the pitch and they're in. We've given ourselves a bit of work to do. I saw enough from the game, we created enough to go through. Of course you never want to lose the game. You let the local team have their night, we press on, another week's training and be better for it," Rodgers told reporters.
"There's no embarrassment. We never took our chances and they took theirs. The second leg will be different. There's no panic. We've got enough quality here to get through to the next round. It's a two-legged affair, our objective is to get through. I think the players gave everything that they had. The message [to the fans] is to stay calm.
"I always felt this qualification phase would be based on the second legs at home and we'll need their support. It's congratulations to them. It's a good win for them. For us we accept it. Over the course of the two games if we didn't get through I'd be concerned. We have to put it right in the next game. We're making no excuses. We'll be fine for the second game."
Celtic welcome Lincoln Red Imps back to Celtic Park - a ground twice the size of the entire population of Gibraltar - next Wednesday.
Barney Corkhill
