Celtic's opening Group E Champions League encounter ended in a 2-0 defeat to Feyenoord in the De Kuip Stadium.

Brendan Rodgers men were also reduced to nine men on a night to forget in Rotterdam as Swedish centre-back Gustaf Lagerbielke and Norwegian midfielder Odin Thiago Holm both saw red.

The Northern Irishman insisted that inexperience at the elite European level cost his side dear.

Rodgers said: "The first one you just have to shepherd it through to the goalkeeper. You don’t have to get into the fight. It is going to go through to Joe Hart anyway. It is just inexperience from Gustaf.

“Odin is a fantastic young player and he will learn from that. He is very committed. At any level, but in particular European football, you can’t go to the ground like that. You make it easy for the referee. I am really disappointed with the two sending-offs.

“When you go down to nine men it becomes very difficult, but what I will say is the spirit of the players was brilliant.”

READ MORE: Celtic's Brendan Rodgers defends dismissed Odin Thiago Holm

Celtic had competed well right up until first-half injury time when goalkeeper Joe Hart failed to keep out Calvin Stengs's free-kick despite the wall disintegrating as Japanese attacker Kyogo Furuhashi seemed to jump and turn his back on the strike.

Whilst Hart shouldered the blame for the concession of the goal the former Manchester City and England shot-stopper insists the Scottish champions can still enjoy a successful European campaign.

Hart who saved a Igor Paixio second haf penalty said: “It was a terrible time to lose the first goal, but that’s this level. It’s quick, sharp and there’s lots going on. There were a few factors at the free-kick, but I’ll look at my position. As the keeper, I want to be saving those.

“The ball skipped up, it was curling away. A guy ran across Kyogo in the wall and it affected him. It was a perfect storm for them and it went in. But I’ll look at myself, I always do that because I want to save everything.

“At Champions League level, you have to be honest. With any free-kick, you have to wait until it goes over the wall because it can skip off a shoulder. But it cuts down your reaction time. I’m not making excuses, that’s facts. That’s the level we’re at and I didn’t manage to get across to it.”

Will Celtic learn their lessons in the Champions League and can they still make a fist of it in Group E?

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