It's one of the worst moments of my life. Playing in the Champions League was a dream of mine but now it's fallen apart

SAYS BENJAMIN NYGREN

- BY MICHAEL GANNON

League. I've had it as a dream for so long and haven't been as close. Now that dream has fallen apart.

“It was a good draw but we knew we had to produce two good performances to get through.

“No one that gets this far to the playoffs is a bad team. Of course it was a better draw than you would normally get.

“But we didn’t manage to put in two good performances - so we didn't deserve to go through.

“It was one of the toughest nights of my career. I don't know what to say, I'm so disappointed.”

Nygren and the rest of the group are down in the dumps but the playmaker admits no one can be allowed to wallow for too long.

Celtic are in the hat for the Europa Consolation Cup today and there might be some crumbs of comfort.

There are several top sides in the hat, with the likes of Roma, Aston Villa and Porto lingering in pot one, with others, such as Bologna, Nottingham Forest, Lyon and Celta Vigo scattered among the other sections of the draw.

So Celtic had better park any notion the secondary continental competition is going to be a canter.