UEFA Cup Quarter-finals, second leg/Villarreal 2 Celtic 0: Celtic still can not reign in Spain. There was defiance from the supporters last night and a fond farewell to this stage in the green and white from Henrik Larsson, but, for Scotland's champions elect, European aspirations have been snuffed out for another season.

That their hopes were ended by a little-known but hugely impressive side will be of little consolation.

"It is obviously a big loss," defender Jackie McNamara said last night. "We thought we could have got through, but it was not to be.

"They played well at Celtic Park, but we lost some bad goals. We felt if we could weather the spell we could score and could take something, but the goals killed us. That's football. We knew it was going to be hard and they are a good side. There is a bit of quality in the team to score goals and that's killed us.

"After one goal we were still in it, but the second has knocked the stuffing out of us."

Celtic have now failed to win in 11 trips to Spain including last season's final in this competition in Seville. All the huff and puff necessitated by the 1-1 first leg stalemate in Glasgow six days earlier could conjure in the end was an invitation to be singed on the break - by first Sonny Anderson and then Roger Garcia.

There is a sleepiness to Villarreal de los Infantes that hardly suggests theirs is a team making waves across Europe. Even so, a town known previously only for its ceramics had its peace shattered as 11,000 Celts rolled into view. The travelling fans took over the occasion, the tricolours flying on all sides of the ground.

"They've been fantastic, around the stadium," McNamara agreed. "They've been great for us. We've now got a game on Sunday against Kilmarnock and we want to win the league as soon as possible."

If Celtic were to dislodge the qualifiers from the Intertoto Cup last night, Martin O'Neill's side were charged with flourishing where the likes of Roma and Galatasaray had floundered.

Villarreal have yet to concede a goal at home in Europe, and the loss of Chris Sutton to a groin strain was a major handicap to Celtic's bid to break that duck.

Without the Englishman's rugged presence up front, the visitors struggled initially to disrupt the Spanish keep-ball. So slick were the locals, pinging gloriously between fluorescent yellow shirts, that Celtic did well to emerge from the opening quarter with only a slender deficit.

An error earned Villarreal the lead. Juliano Belletti's sixth-minute cross looked innocuous enough, but Anderson - skipping away from Stanislav Varga and Bobo Balde - exploited hesitancy between defenders and goalkeeper to nod over the stranded David Marshall and edge the Spanish ahead.

The visitors had taken their time to find rhythm, but, once Lennon and Liam Miller had established busy endeavour in the centre, the chances came. Unfortunately, they were missed.

Miller had set the tone, spanking Henrik Larsson's pull-back over the bar after the Swede bamboozled Fabrizio Coloccini, as the Spanish were pushed back involuntarily.

McNamara, a galloping presence down the right, might have won a penalty under Rodolfo Arruabarrena's challenge before Anderson's sliced intervention almost looped Stilian Petrov's free-kick into his own net.

Villarreal were still biting with menace on the break. Roger panicked when through, while only a magnificent tackle from Balde thwarted the Brazilian when he cleared the scrum in midfield.

Celtic did not learn from the let-off. A swift counter cut them open down the left, with Balde's tackle on Juan Roman Riquelme failing to clear the danger and Jose Mari feeding Anderson.

The striker's cross into the centre was hopeful at best, but Roger, eluding Valgaeren, spat a delicious left-footed volley low and beyond goalkeeper Marshall to leave the visitors broken.

VILLARREAL: Reina; Belletti, Coloccini, Ballesteros, Arruabarrena; Josico, Battaglia; Jose Mari (Javi Venta, 85), Riquelme, Roger; Anderson. Subs not used: Lopez Vallejo, Pedro Marti, Victor, Guayre, Quique Alvarez, Calleja. Booked: Josico, Battaglia, Arruabarrena, Javi Venta. Goals: Anderson 6, Roger 68.

CELTIC: Marshall; McNamara, Balde, Varga, Valgaeren; Agathe, Lennon, Miller (Smith, 70), Pearson (Wallace, 70); Petrov; Larsson. Subs not used: Douglas, Sylla, Lambert, Mjallby, Beattie. Booked: Valgaeren, Pearson.

Referee: M De Santis (Italy).

Guardian Service