Celtic battled back to earn a 1-1 draw with Borussia Monchengladbach in Germany this evening, but it is unlikely to be enough to keep alive their hopes of progressing in the Champions League.
The Bhoys trailed to a first-half Lars Stindl strike and looked to be heading for a repeat of last month's 2-0 defeat in the reverse fixture, though they finished strongly and perhaps should have won it in the end.
Moussa Dembele's penalty, after Julian Korb was shown a red card, earned the Hoops a point which leaves them bottom of Group C on two points - five adrift of Manchester City in second, with two games left to play.
Despite their late efforts it was not to be for Celtic, who do at least still have the safety net of Europa League football post-Christmas if they can finish above Gladbach and claim third place.
Gladbach saw plenty of the ball in dangerous positions in the first half, but could only muster a couple of shots on target - the first of which saw Stindl test Craig Gordon a quarter of the way through.
Stindl's big moment would come later in the rather flat first half, though only after Celtic struck the post through a Scott Sinclair attempt from the edge of the box.
The Foals, boosted by the return to action of Thorgan Hazard for the first time in five matches, were constantly looking to make things happen yet were being restricted largely to strikes from range.
That all changed just after the half-hour mark, however, when returning dangerman Hazard was allowed to pick out Stindl, who sent his right-footed volley flying past Gordon.
That ultimately proved to be it in terms of the first half's chances at either end, though Brendan Rodgers's men did show the odd sign of growing into things and had a slight shout for a penalty rejected when James Forrest was brought down inside the opposition box.
It was the Hoops, requiring a win to realistically keep their European hopes alive, who came out the more fired up for the second half as they looked to get at their opponents' backline on a more regular basis.
Andre Schubert's men, who have slipped well off the pace domestically and failed to score in four, were certainly not willing to sit back for the remainder as Stindl tested Gordon for a second time as the hour mark approached.
The hosts were still the side creating the better chances as the match transpired, with Fabian Johnson played through but getting the ball stuck under his feet and sending his shot wide, before Christoph Kramer blasted at Gordon from inside the box.
Celtic were backed by around 2,500 fans inside the 54,000 capacity stadium, with as many as 4,000 watching the game on TV screens elsewhere in the city, but it was proving to be a frustrating night as the visitors struggled to find their rhythm - much like 13 days ago when undone by two mistakes of their own.
A mistake almost proved to be the Bhoys' undoing on this occasion, too, as a poor Stuart Armstrong pass was pounced on by Gladbach who worked the ball to Andre Hahn eight yards out.
The caressed shot cannoned back off the upright and Celtic were able to breathe again, and it acted as a pivotal moment as Dembele was soon up the other end blasting away a shot that Yann Sommer was happy to push aside.
In the blink of an eye the complexion of the game then changed completely, as Dembele got on the end of a ball around the back and was pulled down by Korb inside the box.
A straight red followed and, more importantly, a penalty for Celtic which Dembele brushed himself down to tuck away, putting memories of a missed spot kick against Barcelona earlier in this competition firmly behind him.
Fifteen frantic minutes followed, with Hahn dragging a shot wide when getting between the visitors' two centre-backs and Patrick Roberts curling a shot wide of the post with a smart effort.
Second-half sub Roberts then created a big chance for his side in the final minute of normal time, sliding through Callum McGregor who failed to find the target with only Sommer to beat.
Daniel Lewis
