Brazilian gives Ralston a masterclass in star quality

Young right-back faced daunting task trying to shackle PSG striker, writes Roddy Forsyth

As a venerable TV commercial for sherry used to proclaim, quality counts. By half-time at Parkhead against Paris St-germain, the massed Hoops support had been reminded that, despite periodic demonstrations of defiance against opponents with bloated Euro accounts, Celtic are more frequently compelled to observe the painful reality that, in such circumstances, the odds are always heaped against them.

PSG are under investigation by Uefa for suspected breaches of the Financial Fair Play rules but, until such time as the governing body decides otherwise, Unai Emery’s side have the capacity to inflict serious damage on those who cross their paths. By way of a demonstration, not only were they three goals to the good by the midway stage of this encounter, but the spoils had been split evenly among their three attackers.

As a consequence of the paucity of fit central defenders available to Brendan Rogers, the Celtic manager put Mikael Lustig alongside Jozo Simunovic and fielded the teenage tyro, Anthony Ralston, at right-back, placing the cadet directly in the path of a €200million striker Neymar, thus creating a contrast of extremes.

On one side was the Brazilian hyperstar, previous South American Footballer of the Year, winner in the Copa do Brasil, Copa Libertadores, La Liga, Copa Del Rey and Champions League – the latter three all in 2014-15 – prior to becoming football’s most expensive player.

Ralston, meanwhile, had graduated to the Celtic team after a loan spell at Queen’s Park – in the year Neymar achieved his Spanish and European treble – and got his first start against Kilmarnock in the Hoops’ 5-0 home win on Aug 8. As the teams lined up, the 19-year-old from the Lanarkshire town of Bellshill was granted a particular ovation by the home support in recognition of a task against what looked like hopeless odds.

Ralston responded by dumping Neymar on his backside two minutes into the proceedings, but when he tried to take the ball for a walk round the Brazilian, he lit a fuse. It detonated in the form of the opening goal, a simple strike which left the Celtic defender a spectator as Neymar drew Craig Gordon from his line and curled the ball around the keeper.

Some relief was afforded Ralston when Neymar wandered infield during a spell in which he set up the second PSG goal, nodding the ball down for Kylian Mbappe to stroke home from close range. After the break PSG treated their advantage like a comfy chair, sitting snugly as Celtic tried to quarry some sort of consolation.

In the event, French champions took their tally to 5-0 with a late flourish, by which time whatever sweat had formed on Neymar’s brow had long since evaporated. Ralston left the pitch pondering the lesson taught by a master.

Quality counts.

When he tried to take the ball for a walk round the Brazilian, he lit a fuse. It detonated