Celtic's Women's Champions League Campaign Ends with Exit After Defeat at Chelsea

Elena Sadiku, the manager of Scottish club Celtic FC, has expressed her excitement despite the team's early exit from the Women's Champions League after just four games. The loss to Chelsea in London marked their third consecutive defeat in the competition, and they now cannot progress beyond the group stage.

With two remaining matches in Group B, Celtic will have to rely on hopes of picking up a point against Twente on December 17 in order to salvage some dignity from an otherwise disappointing campaign. Despite this setback, Sadiku is optimistic about her team's prospects, citing their ability to compete with top-tier teams and praising the quality of players at their disposal.

The team arrived at Chelsea for the match feeling "hungry" after an impressive start to their Women's Super League season in Scotland, where they boasted a winning streak that had stood at 11 games. However, in contrast to expectations, Celtic found themselves struggling against Chelsea, who were considered one of the top contenders in the tournament.

"It says a lot about the team I have," Sadiku said. "We have quality players and the players are learning that as a team we can compete with Chelsea and Real Madrid." She added that her team had hurt opposing teams more than they had been hurt themselves, despite facing formidable lines of attack from opponents like star-studded Chelsea.

Celtic's progress to the Champions League was hailed by their fans after beating Vorsklá 3-0 on aggregate in a qualifying match last year. The team is looking forward to continuing their campaign at Twente next month and Sadiku believes it will provide valuable experience for her squad, while she remains positive and forward-looking.

"We are learning and growing," Sadiku said. "We are growing in confidence." Despite this optimistic tone, however, there were also areas where the team could improve, leading to hopes that they might continue their competitive streak when Twente comes to town next month.

With Real Madrid needing just a point to join Celtic at the quarter-finals stage of the Champions League tournament alongside WSL powerhouses like Real Madrid and a couple more clubs in Group B still remaining uneliminated - these Scottish women are proving themselves once again the resilient fighters on the pitch.