Crestfallen Kolo Toure blamed his own schoolboy defending for the two goals that have Celtic’s European dreams hanging by a slender thread.

The highly-experienced former Liverpool defender was badly at fault for both goals as Borussia Monchengladbach secured a vital 2-0 Champions League victory at Celtic Park.

And Toure pulled no punches afterwards as to where the finger of blame should be pointed as he said: ‘I’m 35 and making a mistake like a 16-year-old.’

Kolo Toure has accepted the 'blame' for Celtic's European defeat by Monchengladbach

The former Liverpool lost possession for both of the Bundesliga side's goals

The Ivorian centre-back admitted that he was caught trying to play the ball out of defence

The Bundesliga side’s captain Lars Stindl opened the scoring after the break after Andre Hahn had robbed Toure as he tried to usher the ball over the goal line for a corner.

Then Hahn put the game beyond Celtic when he took advantage of a poor pass by the Ivory Coast centre back to bury the ball past Craig Gordon.

‘In that kind of competition you can’t afford to make that kind of mistake,’ Toure added.

‘I have to blame myself because it was a simple action to just put the ball to the side but I like to play and make the team have the ball but it was over confidence at the first goal and the second was the same. I don’t like to make mistakes but mistakes happen.’

An honest Kolo Toure fronts up after @celticfc's #UCL defeat and discusses his individual mistakes. #CELBMG https://t.co/ipQlhqYPFp — Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) October 19, 2016

Toure said: 'I don't like to make mistakes... you have to concentrate for 90 minutes'

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Manager Brendan Rodgers was quick to jump to the defence of his defender who he described as ‘a warrior’ since his arrival in the summer. But there is little doubt the feelgood factor that followed the 3-3 draw with Manchester City has somewhat lost its lustre.

‘There will be no-one more disappointed tonight than Kolo,’ Rodgers said. ‘He is experienced enough to know he should deal with the first one. The second one was unfortunate. The guy has got away and finished it brilliantly with a toe-poke finish.

‘Again, it is why he has been in the game for so long – because he hurts and is an honest player. Tonight will hurt Kolo, but he is also a warrior as well.

‘He is a guy who is very, very mentally tough and he will recover. Tonight, he will hurt, as will the team, as will we all. But we go again tomorrow and give everything for the weekend.’

Brendan Rodgers accepted the Germans were sharper as Celtic fell to the bottom of Group C

Captain Scott Brown added: ‘We need to try and bounce back from it. We play from the back and that’s the way the gaffer wants it and that’s the way it should be.

‘We are going to make mistakes and at this level they are costly. In the SPFL we get away with them but it happened tonight.’

Celtic, who sit bottom of their qualifying group, now realistically need to win the return leg in Germany on November 1. With the German side welcoming back many of their big names who sat out last night’s contest that prospect is going to be all the tougher.

Celtic skipper Scott Brown (centre) refused to blame Toure for the defeat

Top of the agenda now however is Sunday’s Hampden encounter with Rangers.

‘We were beaten by a better team tonight,’ Rodgers said. ‘They were a bit sharper and quicker and that’s where we need to get to.

‘But I can’t complain about my players because they gave everything. When it’s like that, you can’t gift anything but we gave two goals away.

‘We have to hold our hands up and say we were beaten by the better team and prepare for Sunday’s game.