Football: Reo Hatate assists in loss as Celtic await tough playoff draw

Japan midfielder Reo Hatate had an assist Wednesday as playoff-bound Celtic lost 4-2 away to Aston Villa in the final round of the Champions League preliminary stage.The Scottish Champions finished 21st in the league phase to advance as one of the top 24 teams, but they now face a daunting knockout-phase playoff against either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich over two legs in mid-February for a place in the last 16.Aston Villa forward Morgan Rogers scored twice in the first five minutes before Adam Idah brought Celtic level with a brace of his own, heading home in the 36th minute and netting ag…READ FULL ARTICLE