It was a day to forget for Caley Thistle winger Aaron Doran as he missed a penalty as the Highlanders fell to a 6-0 thrashing by Celtic in Glasgow.
With Celtic three goals up thanks to an Anthony Stokes hat-trick, Irish winger Doran had the chance to reduce the deficit from the spot but was denied by Fraser Forster.
After losing 5-0 to the Hoops in Glasgow in March, it got worse for Caley Jags as Leigh Griffiths, Efe Ambrose and substitute Teemu Pukki were also on target in addition to Stokes as Neil Lennon’s players ran out deserved winners.
Inverness still have a slim chance of making it into Europe with three league games remaining but Doran could not take any positives away from Celtic Park.
Caley Jags remain in fifth place in the table, eight points behind third-placed Motherwell after a torrid afternoon away from home. The 22-year-old Doran said: “The last two games against Celtic have been really hard to take. They were clinical in front of goal and they really punished us when we were a bit slack in possession.
“We did not create enough chances on the day and Celtic were ruthless up front.
“I did not put enough power on the ball for the penalty miss and Fraser Forster pulled off a good save.
“It probably would have given us a bit of hope at 3-1 but after that the heads dropped a bit. Celtic really punished us. They passed the ball around us and we were not pressing them enough.”
Inverness goalkeeper Dean Brill prevented an even bigger winning margin with a series of superb saves as the Highland side wilted late on.
Doran added: “Celtic passed the ball really well and we were getting tired. They knew the right time to keep the ball in defence and then to play round us and get forward.
“Every time they went forward they created a chance. We did not get into them enough. We did not create enough chances for ourselves or Billy Mckay up front.
“It is going to be really tough for the last three games. Our aim has to be to pick up as many points we can now.”
No mercy, Pages 62, 63