Tactically, Celtic played about as well as could be expected, but they just ran out of steam in the final quarter.
Sadiku set up her side to tame Real’s firepower, and had it not been for Weir’s early wonder strike, they could have entered the dressing room at the break very satisfied with their start.
Their usual 3-4-2-1 formation looked more like a 5-4-1 as the hosts expectedly dominated the ball and the chances, but most of Real’s efforts for the first hour were comfortable for goalkeeper Daughtery.
Sadiku started three natural wing-backs with Celya Barclais and Lawton doubling up on the dazzling Caicedo on Real’s left side.
The Colombian was still electric, but Barclais and Lawton suffocated the space she was afforded to work her magic around the box.
Consequently, Caicedo was often forced to look for an extra pass instead of taking on a shot herself, which helped Celtic limit chances for 63 minutes after Weir’s opener.
Ultimately, the Spanish side were too strong as they turned on the style – cutting Celtic apart as Navarro was teed up for the crucial second, while Moller’s chip from distance was silky.
This display will give the Scottish champions more encouragement than their opening performance against Twente on their group stage debut, but it only gets tougher next time as they face Chelsea home and away in November.
