Strachan has work to do

Uefa Champions League/FC Copenhagen 3 Celtic 1:Celtic's woeful away run in the Champions League continued last night, costing Gordon Strachan's side the chance of progressing to the last 16 as group winners and highlighting the improvement the manager will have to oversee to make the Scots a realistic force in European competition in the process.

FC Copenhagen took Celtic apart, with Atiba Hutchinson and Jesper Gronkjaer handing the Danes an early advantage before Marcus Allback ensured victory, rendering Jiri Jarosik's late goal a mere consolation.

Celtic have failed to win in 12 trips away from Parkhead in this competition, a matter unlikely to go unnoticed by the other clubs in Friday week's draw for the knockout stages.

The early stages bore a worrying resemblance for Celtic to the encounter in Lisbon last month, when the disjointed Scottish champions found themselves two goals down to Benfica before half-time.

With 90 seconds played, Hutchinson played a neat one-two with Marcus Allback on the edge of the visitors' penalty area before dancing through a weak Celtic rearguard and slotting under Artur Boruc.

Allback almost doubled Copenhagen's advantage after a quarter of an hour, the striker blasting against the underside of Boruc's crossbar after collecting Tobias Linderoth's free-kick.

Celtic mounted a response midway through the period as Kenny Miller passed up glorious opportunities within 60 seconds of each other to restore parity.

The striker headed over from 12 yards from a Lee Naylor cross, before running the ball out of play when sent clean through on goal by the same player.

Copenhagen punished such wastefulness as Gronkjaer fired home from six yards after Celtic once again failed to deal with a Linderoth set play.

Allback notched a well-deserved third to finish the contest in the 58th minute.

A despondent Strachan lost Stephen McManus through injury, before Jarosik arrived at the back post to convert Shunsuke Nakamura's free-kick.

Strachan admitted he had work to do before the next phase.

"Their goals came from a throw-in, a free-kick and a corner so we were poor at set-plays.

"So we need to deal with them. Rest assured, I know the problems and I will sort them out.

"Physically, in the first half, they won anything which was up for grabs so that was a problem.

"There are things I have to sort out . . . and I relish the challenge."

FC COPENHAGEN:Christiansen, Jacobsen (Norregaard 56), Hangeland, Gravgaard, Wendt, Silberbauer, Linderoth, Kvist, Gronkjaer (Berglund 89), Allback (Bergvold 81), Hutchinson. Subs not used: Gall. Booked: Gronkjaer. Goals: Hutchinson 2, Gronkjaer 27, Allback 57.

CELTIC:Boruc, Wilson, Balde, McManus (O'Dea 73), Naylor, Gravesen (Nakamura 68), Lennon, Jarosik, McGeady (Pearson 68), Zurawski, Miller. Subs not used: Marshall, Telfer, Riordan, Sno. Booked: Miller, Jarosik, McManus.Goals: Jarosik 75.

Referee:Bertrand Layec (France).