This never ending hard luck story is starting to wear a bit thin for Alistair Johnston’s liking. Yes, Celtic may have traded blows with Lazio under the lights on Wednesday and came within a brush of Daizen Meada’s sock of flooring the Italians with a knock-out blow.
But, ultimately, it all ended the way it almost always does. In absolute agony and with nothing more to show for their efforts than the bruises of another Champions League skirmish gone wrong.
That’s 10 years and counting now since Celtic actually came out on top of one of these group games on home soil. And Johnston admits the time has come for them to start swapping plaudits and pats on the head for some actual points.
When Pedro’s header looped into the back of Joe Hart’s net deep in injury time on Wednesday night it felt like a horribly familiar end to the same old movie.