#paok-thessaloniki

#paok-thessaloniki

To be honest, I probably put some of the blame on myself. I had a lot of chances to score and I didn't. It wasn't good enough in front of goal.

Luke McCowan's goal inside 30 seconds was irrelevant in the broader context of this tie. Stuttgart's 4-1 canter in Glasgow a week earlier ensured that. Still, a game that had the whiff of irrelevance for Celtic delivered unexpected cheer.

Bodø/Glimt were already admired for their ascent through the Norwegian system-returning to the top flight only in 2017 and winning four league titles in the years that followed. But their leap into the Champions League spotlight this season has been extraordinary. As tournament debutants, they arrived with curiosity surrounding them-but they quickly replaced intrigue with astonishment.

The visitors began brightly at Stadion Bijeli Brijeg, controlling possession and probing down the flanks. Ismaila Sarr looked the most threatening outlet in the opening exchanges, forcing an early save before seeing a goal ruled out for offside after Palace worked a long free-kick into the box. Despite Palace's territorial dominance, clear chances were frustratingly limited. Adam Wharton and Daichi Kamada attempted to thread passes through a compact Zrinjski defence, but the hosts remained organised and disciplined.

Germany have quite an exciting year ahead. With a couple interesting friendlies in March, it only gets more interesting as Germany will look to redeem themselves at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after two extremely disappointing World Cups for Die Mannschaft. Soon after that tournament, the Germans will look to put together another strong campaign in the UEFA Nations League.

Starting brightly, with some success - see wins over Panathinaikos and Viktoria Plzen. A quick collapse - see the 6-0 humiliation by Club Brugge in their Champions League play-off second leg. Then a disappointing second half - see an underwhelming Europa League campaign. Just one win in the league phase this season - coming last week against Ludogorets - and it all came far too late. By that point, they were effectively out already.