Wednesday 14 September 2016 11:22, UK
Brendan Rodgers believes Celtic's missed penalty as they trailed by a goal in their 7-0 defeat to Barcelona was a turning point.
The Scottish champions were thrashed at the Nou Camp but could have drawn level after Moussa Dembele was fouled following Lionel Messi's opener.
Dembele took the kick himself but it was a weak effort and goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen saved it comfortably, with Barcelona then pulling clear with aplomb in the second half.
Rodgers felt things might have worked out differently had Dembele scored and said: "Moussa was happy to accept the responsibility and the keeper read it and made a good save. I credit the goalkeeper.
"That was a moment for us that needed to go our way. When the ball hits the back of the net for us it would have given us a lot of energy so I think that was a turning point."
Barcelona's class was clear as Messi hit a hat-trick, Neymar scored a free kick to go along with his four assists and Andres Iniesta also struck before Luis Suarez notched a double.
The final result was Celtic's worst ever defeat in European competition but Rodgers maintains there was nothing to be embarrassed about.
He added: "We couldn't have come to a more difficult place in world football. This will be a brilliant learning season for us in the Champions League.
"Even the older ones will learn from that and that will make us a better team. Tonight is one of the tough nights that you take at this level.
"There can be no embarrassment as they do that to better teams than us. Professionally it is never nice when it happens. We gave away the goal early but I thought we came back into the game.
"Once we started to get a bit of belief and confidence to pass the ball we started to create opportunities. There was a massive moment in the first half.
"To have had hardly any preparation time really to come up against the world's best at keeping the ball and tiring you out is always going to be difficult really.
"I look technically at the game. You need to conserve the ball. Tonight clearly the top-class team won but I couldn't have asked any more of my team."
