IT is often said that the Scots specialise in glorious failure, but Celtic took part in their own Greek tragedy last night in Athens to crash out of Champions League qualifying.

Today is the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, an annual religious holiday in Greece that rivals Christmas for its importance. Perhaps it was fitting then that on the eve of the celebrations, the Celtic defence were so generously handing out gifts to the locals.

This chaotic city was the perfect setting for the tragic state of the Celtic backline this summer to be laid bare, leaving their dreams of a third-successive season mixing it with the European elite in ruins in the Olympic Stadium.

The Dedryck Boyata affair had descended into farce prior to kick-off, but it is difficult to say that the presence of the Belgian would have made much difference as Celtic’s defensive frailties on their continental travels were exposed once again.

A goal early in either half was enough to ensure that Brendan Rodgers would fail to qualify for the group stages of the Champions League for the first time since taking charge, despite a late Scott Sinclair counter, and perhaps the biggest frustration would lie in the fact the Scottish champions were neither outplayed nor outclassed. Far from it, in fact, giving as good as they got in open play.

But there are critical weaknesses in the defensive make-up that were exposed, and they made all the difference to the tie.

Mikael Lustig had a hand in both goals, as he did with the AEK’s goal in the first-leg, and a lack of concentration as they stepped up a level was to prove fatal.

It was baking in Athens with temperatures still too close to the 30-mark for the liking of the visitors despite the game kicking off at 9pm local time. The atmosphere was boisterous without being white-hot though, more akin to the glow felt when seated close to a decent two-bar fire.

The pitch itself was a good 30 yards away from the 40,000 inside the vast 70,000-seater Olympic Stadium, with 700 Celtic fans trying to making themselves heard stuck away in one of the top corners of the ground.

With players who may have started missing for a variety of reasons, the Celtic manager didn’t exactly need the news that Odsonne Edouard would also miss the game, with Leigh Griffiths handed the task of spearheading the visiting attack.

His best-laid plans were further torn asunder just six minutes in as Niklas Hult forced the ball across goal from the left after beating Lustig far too easily, and the unchecked Rodrigo Galo simply strolled into the Celtic box and side-footed home low past Craig Gordon.

Celtic would have had to score in any case, but somehow everything seemed to have changed. The Scots had to turn the tide, and a couple of counter-punches chiefly created by Tom Rogic suggested they had the fibre that Rodgers had asked them to produce prior to the game.

The problem for the visitors now though was piercing the defensive shape of AEK that they became so familiar with in the second-half of last week’s draw in Glasgow, with the Greeks settling into two compact banks of four across the middle and back.

Celtic came within a whisker of levelling the tie just after the half hour, Callum McGregor getting in behind and crossing for Griffiths, but his contact squirmed agonisingly wide.

All of their good work approaching the interval was undone seconds after it though, and again, they were the architects of their own downfall.

A needless free-kick conceded by Lustig allowed Galo to hang a ball up where Vassilis Lampropoulos rose above Hendry to nod back across goal for Marko Livaja to head home. So easy, and yet, so hard to take.

Celtic would now have to score twice, but that wasn’t outwith the realms of possibility given how the match had gone.

Moussa Dembele and then Sinclair entered the fray as Rodgers threw the dice one last time. The gamble paid off.

Tierney galloped down the left and dinked a ball up that Sinclair met with a diving header to bury into the top corner with 12 minutes remaining. Game on.

Suddenly, nerves were jangling all around, with the ball-boys refusing to throw the ball back to Celtic players and the sight of five minutes of injury-time being held aloft causing wails of anxiety all around.

Then came the chance. With seconds to spare, McGregor dinked a ball into the area that Jozo Simunovic flicked a foot at, sending the ball spinning towards the near corner of the AEK goal and provoking an intake of breath that seemed to suck the life out of the stadium.

Alas, the ball dropped just the wrong side of the post, and the guttural roar that greeted the final whistle signalled Celtic’s descent into the Europa League.