Midfielder Natalie Ross says Celtic are "not far away" from competing in the Champions League after a 2-0 home defeat in their group-stage debut at home to Twente on Tuesday night.
Image source, SNSCeltic can walk away from defeat to Twente "with their heads held high".
That's the verdict of former Scotland and Hibs defender Joelle Murray, who insists Elena Sadiku's side did themselves proud in their first ever Champions League group game.
"They certainly didn't disgrace themselves," Murray told the the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.
"When you consider the magnitude of the competition, the first Scottish side to qualify for it since it was introduced in 2020-21, I thought they put up a really, really good performance.
"Of course, Twente had the lion's share of the ball, the lion's share of passes within the 90 minutes.
"But Celtic played well. They had their opportunities within the 90, it wasn't as if they approached the game from a negative perspective.
"Nobody likes to get beaten, however I think they can walk away from that with their heads held high."
Were you at Celtic's Women's Champions League game on Tuesday night or following the action from home?
We want your views.
What did you make of the performance? How do you feel about next week's trip to Madrid?
Image source, SNSCeltic head coach Elena Sadiku: "I've said it to the girls, being in the group stage, being in the top 16 teams, it's a big difference to playing in Scotland.
"They should be confident. There are errors we need to fix.
I don’t know how much[more] people are expecting from us to be in the top 16.
"What we’re doing right now is we’re going to fight. We’ll try to do everything to get as many points as possible.
"In January or in the summer I don’t think anyone expected us to be where we are right now. I think we can really put in a better performance for our next game."
Image source, SNSFor her first start in a Champions League game, former Motherwell striker Morgan Cross didn't look fazed at all.
She caused the Twente backline all sorts of problems and posed a real threat at times.
Amy Canavan
BBC Sport Scotland at ZLX Stadium
Image source, SNSFine margins. It is a phrase used often, but with good reason.
That’s all that really separated the Scottish and Dutch champions, with the latter carrying a clinical edge to capitalise on Celtic's brief moments vulnerability.
Centre-back Hayes and goalkeeper Daugherty rarely put a foot wrong at the back but while a miscommunication like the one for the opening goal might not be punished on a Sunday in the Scottish Women's Premier League, it’s a given at this elite level it will be.
Meanwhile, at the other end, Celtic only managed to hit the target with three of their 10 attempts, and those three ought to have been buried.
It’s a tough lesson to take especially ahead of a trip to face Real Madrid next week amid a hectic schedule.
Sadiku will hope Scotland striker Amy Gallacher, who was absent from the squad entirely, will be back in the mix and winger Lucy Ashworth-Clifford, who was deemed not fit enough to come on as a second-half substitute.
Their absence was felt, although summer signings Shannon McGregor, Morgan Cross and Emma Lawton, all of whom were recruited from smaller Scottish clubs, showed they are ready to test themselves at a higher level.
A rare defeat will sting Sadiku and Celtic, as will the fact they missed an opportunity to take points in their easiest Group B fixture on paper, with Madrid and Chelsea still to come.
But there are some positives to take before heading to Spain next week.
Celtic skipper Kelly Clark says the squad were delighted to receive a congratulations message from club legend Henrik Larsson after qualifying for the Champions League.
Listen to commentary and follow live text coverage of Celtic's Champions League opener against Twente on the BBC Sport website and app tonight from 19:45 BST.
Image source, SNSCeltic must get a positive result in the "difficult" opener with Twente on Tuesday night because it is their most winnable game in the Champions League group stage, says former midfielder Suzanne Lappin.
Elena Sadiku's side will also face Chelsea and Real Madrid home and away in their maiden campaign in women's football's premier club competition.
"It's a difficult fixture, Twente's track record in the Champions League is very decent. " Lappin told BBC Scotland's Behind the Goals podcast.
"If you look at the three opponents it's probably the game they'll have more chance of getting something from. So from Celtic's point of view they need to try and get something from the game.
"Being your home tie, you need to try and win those in any competition and tonight is no different.
"It's going to be really, really tough because there is no easy game at this stage in the Champions League."
We asked for your views on the weekend's SWPL action.
Here's what some of you said:
David: Great to see Hearts doing so well, with a nice blend of youth and experience. Lots of goals being scored in the process - perhaps they could pass on some tips to the men's team!
Richard: Phew! Partick gave us a real battle. Thankfully Hearts scored at important times, the first probably against the run of play. However, slowly Hearts dominated play and the third was important, but despite this Thistle were determined to get on the scoresheet, for pride more than expectation. It is vitally important that Hearts win games like this if we have any hope of keeping up with the top of the league.
Alicia Yates (Spartans): Wasn't overly troubled but was alert when she had to be. Prevented Dundee United with a late chance to ensure her side earned three vital points.
Lauren Doran-Barr (Hibs): Was solid at the back, especially in the first half, but also showed her attacking intent with an assist and an absolute belter of a goal from distance in the 5-1 thumping of Montrose.
Jenna Penman (Motherwell): Although her side conceded two goals in defeat to Rangers, it would have been more but for the backline of which she was key. Had to change positions in the second half to replace Jo Addie and coped well with the switch.
Siobhan Hunter (Hibs): Making her 300th appearance she was her usual calm self at the back for Hibs, especially in the first half when the defence was tested.
Jackie Richards (Hearts): Was pushed further up the pitch in the second half and proved to be a real influence. Her goal was brave and, but for the post, she could have had another in the 3-0 win at Partick Thistle.
Eilidh Shore (Hearts): Grabbed Hearts' second goal at a time when the opposition were causing some problems. Took the game by the scruff of the neck.
Rosie Livingstone (Hibs): The 19-year-old forward was only on the pitch for 12 minutes but is worthy of a place in the TOTW for two reasons. After six months out, she’s battled back to fitness and her goal was a spectacular overhead kick.
Aleigh Gambone (Glasgow City): Plenty of contenders from City's midfield, but the American's goal gives her the edge. It was City’s second and set them on their way to a big win at Aberdeen.
Katie Wilkinson (Rangers): Rangers weren’t at their most fluent but Wilkinson’s persistence paid off. After hitting the bar, she finally grabbed a vital breakthrough for Jo Potter's side, helping them to an important win.
Hannah Jordan (Spartans): Scored both goals in the 2-1 win over Dundee United as Spartans picked up three good points. Always seems to be in the right place at the right time.
Emily Whelan (Glasgow City): Maintained her impressive scoring form with two goals. Such a key player for this City team who are really clicking now.
Image source, SNSCaptain Kelly Clark says Celtic fully deserve to enjoy their history-making debut in the Champions League against Twente on Tuesday night.
The reigning SWPL champions will become the first Scottish side to feature in the group stage when they host the Dutch outfit at New Douglas Park.
"For weeks now the mood's been really good," defender Clark said.
"The win in the second [qualifying] game against Vorskla [Poltava] is probably the peak so far and I don't really think it's dropped since then.
"There's a genuine buzz and on a personal note, I think the girls deserve to have that, they deserve to be as happy as they are right now.
"We know this is going to be six really tough games, but the reality is getting here is a massive achievement.
"So we genuinely deserve to experience this with a smile on our faces and I'll play my part in making sure we're happy."
Charlotte Cohen
BBC Sport Scotland
Image source, SNSElena Sadiku says the only pressure on Celtic "is coming from us wanting to do well"
Elena Sadiku insists there's "no pressure" on her Celtic side as they prepare to face Twente on Tuesday night.
It's the first of six Champions League group stage games for the Glasgow side, who will also face Chelsea and Real Madrid.
Tuesday night's match will also be the first for Celtic with New Douglas Park as their home ground.
"This is the first time we've been here," Sadiku said. "This is the first time we're experiencing the Champions League group stage.
"We know that we are probably one of the lowest, if not the lowest, ranked team in the group stage, so there's no pressure on us. The pressure is coming from us wanting to do well and show that we are a great team.
"The excitement is hopefully the thing that we can push for during the game. You know we want to be here, we want to fight and we want to make sure that we put in a great performance.
"This is a different experience for us and we should be excited. We should be fearless coming into this game as well."
Charlotte Cohen
BBC Sport Scotland
Image source, SNSElena Sadiku has been speaking to the media as Celtic prepare for their Champions League group stage opener against Twente.
Here are the main points from her press conference:
She said she will be treating the clash as a normal game despite the occasion.
Adds that coming to Celtic was a "dream come true" and she wants to continue to be successful with the team.
The squad's confidence has taken a massive boost from their victories over Vorskla Poltava and their midweek draw with Rangers.
While Sadiku says there is "no outside pressure" on her side given their low competition ranking, they have put pressure on themselves to perform well.
The Swedish manager is happy to "bring on" the external pressure, though, if it means taking some of it away from her players.
Says she's "living in a wheel" with the amount of games her side have coming up but is fully focused on putting together a proper game plan for all of their fixtures.
Image source, SNSRangers manager Jo Potter: "We've always got to be happy with a clean sheet and the three points.
"We were in control for the whole game and didn't look like conceding but there's elements we need to work and improve on.
"For the majority it was an improved performance from what I wanted. This could have been a real banana skin for us but I thought we looked in control.
"The main thing for us was not slipping up, not taking our foot off the gas and feeling sorry for ourselves. Everything is looking positive."
Motherwell manager Paul Brownlie: "I thought we had real control at points, particularly in the first half, I thought we looked really comfortable.
"We were really thin on numbers due to the players that were at our disposal, come next Sunday we'll have eight players back in the squad which will be a big boost."
Image source, SNSPartick Thistle manager Brian Graham: "At this level when you don't take your chances you get punished at the other end.
"In the second half we tried to have a go but we lost a sucker punch and the game just got away from us from there.
"I thought it was two good sides and it could have gone either way, unfortunately for us it went Hearts' way."
Hearts manager Eva Olid: "It wasn't an easy day.
"I think in the first half they stopped us playing how we wanted to play and when we didn't have the ball we looked lost.
"In the second half it was a different game but we need to play our game from the first second not wait until the second half.
"It's a learning experience, we're used to our pitch but we need to adapt to every circumstance and always play our game."
Image source, SNSEilidh Adams scored from the penalty spot to give the lead back to Hibs
Hibs manager Grant Scott: "First and foremost I'm delighted with the win.
"They're a difficult team to overcome, they play really organised football and give you a real good challenge.
"We kept trying to play football and that got us the result in the end."
Montrose manager Craig Feroz: "I thought the team were excellent for the first 20 minutes.
"We got a goal back and I thought we were totally in the game but the penalty decision was a joke.
"Hibs had so much possession and you expect that when you're away form home against a top team and I thought we executed the gameplan well but the penalty changes the game.
"For me it's not a penalty at all, we get a sending off as well. It's disappointing when you're down there fighting for points and I think we deserved something from the game."
Image source, SNSHannah Jordan scored both of Spartans' goals.
Dundee United manager Suzy Shepherd: "It's disappointing getting beaten but I don't think we played well whatsoever.
"I think we improved slightly in the second half but it was still nowhere near how we're capable of playing.
"We need to go away and reflect on ourselves as individuals and prepare for the game next week."
Spartans manager Jack Beesley: "I'm delighted to get the three points which was the main objective.
"We could have taken our opportunities a bit more so that was the frustration.
"I'm delighted to win but I thought we could have managed certain situations better and made it less stressful at the end."
Image source, SNSMairead Fulton got her first goal of the season in Glasgow City's 5-0 win.
Aberdeen coach Aaron Scully: "We knew it was going to be a tough game, I think one of the most disappointing things was that I didn't feel they had to work too hard for their goals.
"I thought we defended quite well but the key moments in the game that cost us the goals.
"We need to try and pick up more points against the teams around us by getting goals, not conceding silly goals and scoring at the other end."
Glasgow City manager Leanne Ross: "I'm really pleased with the performance, I thought we played some nice stuff and scored some nice goals.
"It's important we score goals, we know it can be important when it comes to the end of the season and it's nice to see players all over the pitch getting goals.
"Every time we take to the pitch we need to fight for the three points so all in all a good day's work."
What did you make of this weekend's SWPL action? Were you pleased with your side's performance?
