GEORGIOS SAMARAS reckons the inquest searching for the reason why Celtic are out of Europe after just five games this season is looking too deeply for the answer.

The Greek striker believes it is staring everyone in the face.

Quite simply, it is better to be lucky than good.

By Sami's assessment, the Hoops had the quality players in Aalborg on Tuesday, but this was simply no match for the Danes' good fortune.

And, without a rub of the green, the 23-year-old hitman - who has found the net 10 times this season, but who passed up two excellent chances to open his Champions League account - believes Celtic were always on a loser.

He said: "If we had had more luck, we would have won. They were not quality goals and I do not think Aalborg were better than us. But sometimes luck is better than quality."

Now Samaras just wants to put the shock Euro exit behind him and focus fully on winning the three domestic trophies up for grabs. He said: "There are no excuses. There's nothing more we can do other than keep our heads up and keep working to improve ourselves as individuals and as a team.

"We must try to win the three trophies we are still in, including the SPL so that we are in the Champions League again next season."

It is a bitter end to Sami's first full European campaign with the club he joined in January. But he can see no value in looking back, unless it is to identify what they could have done better and to establish how to ensure mistakes are not repeated.

He said: "Everybody is disappointed because I don't think we deserved to lose that game. For 70 minutes we played really well. We were really focused on our tactics and pressed high up the pitch.

"We didn't create a lot of chances, but I think we had pole position and scored a really good goal. But in the last 17 minutes there were two unlucky situations for them to score. We had some chances to finish the game, but that is all over now."

A fully-fit Samaras may have been able to convert the chances which came his way in the first half and put Celtic out of sight in the tie to guarantee a parachute jump into the last 32 of the Uefa Cup in February.

But he is clearly still struggling to find his top form after his cartilage operation last month, and knows that only more games will help him get back to his best.

He said: "I don't want to talk about the opportunities I had. I was not really happy with my performance. I'm still trying to find my fitness, and I just want to be ready for the game on Saturday against Inverness."

Celtic could go into that game at Parkhead just a point clear at the top of the table if Rangers defeat Hearts in their lunch-time kick-off at Tynecastle.

It will be the job of the champions' management team to pick everyone up and ensure all the players are ready to go again in search of their 12th straight SPL win.