Celtic

Alasdair Lamont
BBC Sport Scotland Commentator

Image source, SNS

Celtic proved they didn't just use "buzzwords" after their bruising defeat in Dortmund with an improved, "composed and mature" performance against Bayern Munich, says Alastair Johnston.

The right-back looked back to the 7-1 defeat in Dortmund as a point of comparison and agreed it was a pivotal point in the team's European education.

"It's funny, after the match you probably heard a lot of cliche things in terms of 'we've got to learn from this' and all that. It is just clichés if you're just saying it," the Canada international said after Celtic drew on the night in Munich.

"But for us it wasn't buzzwords. No, seriously, we're going to look at this and we're going to break down the video and realise, 'what did we do wrong, what did we need to do better?'

"And understand that Europe, especially away, it's not going to be like a domestic game. You can't always be so open and expect to get results against these top teams.

"I think we matured in terms of our approach. We weren't so rash, we weren't so emotional in certain moments feeling like we've been under the cosh for five minutes here.

"I thought we were very stable mentally, we showed such a composure and maturity in terms of defending.

"That's our tenth match in the Champions League this year. So we've learned a lot and hopefully we can continue that into next year."

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Former Celtic midfielder and Champions League winner Paul Lambert joined Lunchtime Live to discuss his old side's fortunes in Europe. Here's what he had to say on...

Celtic's reputation: "It's always been high. Everybody knows any team that comes to Glasgow to play them is always going to get a right tough game.

"It's very difficult to win at Parkhead. You have seen teams, massive names, come to Parkhead and get turned over.

"Celtic's reputation in Europe, the way the way I see it, has never been diminished really because of what they've done in 1967 and that will always go down as the greatest Celtic team. The Lions, that's the pinnacle of it.

"I don't think the European record through the years has been really bad. It's been really good."

The remainder of the season: "The league's already there, that's for sure. If you're being realistic, 99% of the population will say the exact same.

"The Scottish Cup... they can only lose that really, because they are the strongest and best team in in Scotland by a distance, not just by a margin, by an absolute distance. I think they'll get the treble and it'll be thoroughly deserved."

What Rodgers has learned: "The Dortmund game gave them a jolt of what can happen if you really try to go gung-ho. What Brendan has done is shore up a little bit, you saw it in that Atalanta game in which he got a really good point.

"You have to in Europe, because you can't play the type of football you play in Scotland. Europe's an impossibility because you will get picked off.

"Bayern Munich, one of the top ones and one of the ones that could go a long way to win it. But I'm pretty sure Brendan has learned a lot from that Dortmund game."

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Former Celtic midfielder Peter Grant believes it is "all about maintaining it now" following a Champions League performance that he described as "remarkable".

Brendan Rodgers side were "excellent" in their draw with Bayern Munich, in Grant's view, and surpassed his expectations.

"I don't mean that disrespectfully," he said of Celtic who drew 1-1 with the German giants, but exited the competition due to the aggregate score.

"Because, if you look at Bayern in the first leg, I thought they were excellent with the ball and, deep down, you thought, if Bayern played as well as they did in their first leg, there was a possibility of a tough night."

Grant, who made 483 appearances for Celtic, thinks the performance should give the players "great confidence" going into next season's Champions League, with the new format of four home and four away league phase games suiting the Glasgow side.

However, he pointed out: "When you're playing so well, people are always interested in your players, so there's always a change of players.

"Celtic will have to spend big, they'll spend it big on younger players, so they'll have to learn again and perform. Bayern paid £100m near enough on Harry Kane - Celtic are never going to pay that for anyone and that will be the crucial difference at times."

We asked for your views on Celtic's heartbreaking 1-1 draw against Bayern Munich, which resulted in their exit from the Champions League.

Here's what some of you said...

Thomas: It's levels ahead of where we were in Europe, even compared to last season, but ultimately still not good enough. I know everyone is speaking about pride, but at the end of the day, we had more than enough chances to win the game and conceded a sloppy late goal. Whether we can go further next year is the big question.

Gordon: Superb performance and one that will leave fans excited for what next season in Europe might bring. Credit to Brendan Rodgers for the selection and the players for a brave approach. No one is happy to be knocked out of the tournament, but you have to take your wins and getting to this stage of the Champions League is definitely a win for Celtic. Now focus on the treble!

Richard: What a performance from Celtic, so proud of them. If we can keep our squad together and sign a couple of quality players in the next window, we can go further in Europe next season.

Torsten: Terrific performance with a heartbreak right at the death. Despite this cruel ending, I'm just so proud. We played one of the big guns in Europe away from home - and we went at them. To go absolutely mental after Nicolas Kuhn put us ahead in a block packed with Bayern supporters in total disbelief - moments one will never forget.

Patrick: We really brought the game to Bayern. They had more possession but we had chances all over, we just needed to convert some of them. We know we can compete at this level so this should be the minimum expectation in future. Great campaign that the boys can all be proud of.

Graham: Absolute pride in my team. I thought every single player in green ran their heart out, but also played with a confidence I haven't seen in a Celtic team away from home in Europe in a long time. I'm hoping this is just the start of us building a consistently competitive champions league team.

Paul: A performance against Bayern that I didn't believe this team were capable of. A sign that we've developed massively since Dortmund match. Disciplined, intensity when required, and controlled for the most part. Credit to coaching staff.

David: It was devastating, but also a moment of pride. If we are all honest, I believe our goal was to get out of the league phase and into the knockout stages and anything after that was a bonus and a no lose situation... We showed we sit at the top table. The team did us proud.

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Celtic goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel told Prime Video Sport: "Frustration, disappointment, I thought it was a heroic performance, very brave.

"Football is a cruel game sometimes, that's the emotion at the moment.

"I was loving every minute so another 30 would have been amazing.

"There's just so much disappointment but in the next few days when we take a step back and analyse the fact we're away to Bayern and are disappointed in drawing, I think that says a lot when you think of where we started the competition to where we got to.

"It will stand us in good stead for the future.

"We've got a lot of young players in there that haven't played at this stage, this level, with this kind of pressure so it's a tough learning curve but in the long run it will probably be a good one."

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Former Celtic manager Martin O'Neill: "This is not biased, but I thought they were absolutely fantastic from start to finish.

"Celtic should have at least gone through to extra time if nothing else. They were magnificent.

"They will always think they have a chance at Celtic Park regardless of who they are playing, but I think the away performance tonight I think will become really significant in the days ahead, I think they'll feel we can actually do something about it.

"This was Bayern Munich who are at the top of the Bundesliga, it was a brilliant effort really."

Former Celtic goalkeeper Pat Bonnar: "Rodgers will look to strengthen again, there's no doubt about that.

"The players understand the plan and how to implement it. They trust the manager and how he wants to play. It's his job to keep them improving and if they add quality, the future is very bright."

Former Scotland international James McFadden: "Celtic suffered out there and they proved people wrong.

"People watching that will go 'Celtic are a really good side'. Everyone involved will be gutted at the minute because they will feel they could have won this tie.

"That tells you how far they have come."

Former Scotland international Pat Nevin: "The reality is that as the game went on Celtic got more and more tired and Bayern were creating more and more chances. They deserved the chance to go to extra time.

"The Celtic players can be proud of themselves tonight. Brendon Rodgers can be proud too. He didn't set out to just defend. He set out to go toe to toe.

"That sucker punch at the end with 30 seconds to go - knockout blow.

"The campaign started out horrifyingly for Celtic but it has ended up with them walking away with great pride having learned a lot.

"They are a better team than they were at the start of the competition. And they can go on from this.

"They need a little bit more strength in depth when you come to moments like this. The expectation is that Brendan Rodgers is going to build from here."

Alasdair Lamont
BBC Sport Scotland Commentator in Munich

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Alastair Johnston insisted pride rather than disappointment was the overriding emotion in the wake of the club's Champions League exit to Bayern Munich.

Alphonso Davies' 94th-minute equaliser sent Bayern through on aggregate after a heroic Celtic performance almost brought them a first win on German soil and a shot at extra-time to progress to the last 16.

"There's no regrets at all," the Celtic right-back said. "It's an unbelievable team and I'm unbelievably proud of my group.

"I think that every single man who stepped out there can leave with their head held high and that's something that's really important for us.

"Disappointment is definitely not the word that comes to my mind. I mean, this is one of the best teams in the world.

"Coming to their place, where they've got an unbelievable home record, not only in the league, but in Europe as well.

"For us to show up like that, I think it will have a lot of respect not only in Europe, but around the globe.

"We held our own. They needed a last kick of the game equaliser to get through against us. So that's obviously the part that hurts.

"I think we showed we belong at this level and I know that's something the gaffer really had thought long and hard about when he wanted to come back to the club.

"It was a big thing for him that he wanted to take that next step in Europe and I think we showed that."

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• Bayern have reached the Champions League last 16 in each of the last 17 seasons and in each of their last 21 appearances in the competition.

• They remain unbeaten against Scottish opposition at home in major European competition (P11 W7 D4). Celtic have failed to win any of their 16 away games against German opposition (D4 L12 – including East Germany).

• Kuhn became the first German to score against Bayern Munich in the Champions League since Mergim Berisha for Red Bull Salzburg in November 2020. He is the first to do so in the knockout stages since Lukas Podolski for Arsenal in March 2014 (last 16).

• Bayern have made more errors leading to opposition shots than any other team in the Champions League this season (13 – 5 in the build-up to goals conceded).

• Celtic (28y 40d) named their oldest starting XI for a Champions League game since a 1-0 win against Manchester United at Celtic Park in November 2006 (28y 272d).

Celtic missed out on an extra £9.3m following their Champions League play-off defeat by Bayern Munich but secured £26.23m from this season's competition. (Daily Record), external

Celtic have made £38.22m from this season's Champions League even before taking into account ticket sales and other commercial business. (The Herald), external

South Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo described his visit to Europe very beneficial after meeting Celtic winger Yang Hyun-jun and Hibernian midfielder Kwon Hyuk-gyu, who is yet to make a full debut. (Edinburgh Evening News), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Celtic's Champions League adventure came to a halt in gut-wrenching fashion as Bayern Munich struck in the 94th minute to deny them a stunning victory in Germany and snatch a 3-2 aggregate victory.

How do you feel after that one, Celtic fans? A mix of pride and dejection?

Who impressed, and what are the big take-aways for Brendan Rodgers?

Let us know your thoughts, external.

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Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers told the assembled media: "It's a mixture of pride, firstly in the performance level. We have to remember this is Bayern Munich and everyone talked about that before the game.

"Performance-wise, we were outstanding, played without any fear. Defended so well, with discipline, pressed at the right moments, gave them issues on that side, and able to be compact and tight in the right moment.

"We didn't give away so much. Harry [Kane] hit the crossbar in the first half but there weren't too many glaring opportunities for them.

"We created really good chances. Second half we to defend more, but we know the game plan. We get in front, deservedly so. It was just about could we get the second one.

"It never looked like we were going to concede the goal that we did and sadly for us, we did. I can only take immense pride from the performance and the guys gave everything.

"Our European credibility was always going to be important. That's my main takeaway from this campaign.

"We learned some valuable lessons along the way, played some amazing football, and taken on a club of this size and magnitude - a club where one of their players is more than our budget.

"It allows us to build. Last year I felt we developed even though we never got the points. Performance-wise I thought it was good.

"This season it's been very good. We've made the progress that made me want to come back and now we have to finish the season off strong.

"My unswerving plan is to make it a seasoned club at this level, where we can go and really hurt big opponents like Bayern Munich."

Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland

Image source, Getty Images

Football is so often a cruel game, and it was hard not to feel for the Celtic players who lay dejectedly on the turf as their Bayern counterparts ran to the corner celebrating, and no doubt breathing a huge sigh of relief.

All the fight and resolve that they had shown for almost 180 minutes had been sapped from them by the scrappiest, ugliest of goals.

The Scottish champions hustled and harried, and stood up when tested. Schmeichel added more saves to his highlights reel, while his defence headed, blocked and cleared almost everything that came at them.

There were chances. McGregor blazed over in the first half when he should have hit the target. Kuhn had one cleared off the line, before his cross to the back post missed Maeda by a matter of inches.

They forced another opportunity when Dayot Upamecano sliced a pass. Kuhn played in Maeda with Neuer off his line, but the Japanese forward chipped wide.

There is a German saying - coming close is also missing it. It feels harsh to be critical given the monumental effort Celtic produced, but they needed to be more clinical.

They were less than a minute from extra time, and who knows what would have happened then? Perhaps more cruelty and dejection. Perhaps immortality among the Celtic annals for years to come.

Although they return to Glasgow beaten, they return with pride.

This looks like a different team to the one battered in Dortmund just a few months ago. They've matured considerably and look like growing even further.

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Kasper Schmeichel. The Great Dane stood up once again to keep Celtic in the tie with eight saves, plenty of them important.

Despite his relatively short tenure, he could well go down as one of Celtic's great goalkeepers.

Tino
Fan writer

It's at times like this when, as a Celtic fan, it can be all too easy to let your heart rule your head.

And to be honest, I'm all here for it!

Because what's the alternative? Fearing the worst, accepting defeat before a ball is even kicked, or seeking comfort in the fact that 'its been a good run?'

Not for me.

The reality is Bayern Munich are strong favourites to proceed to the next stage, and rightly so.

Six-time winners of the European Cup/Champions League, flying high once again in the Bundesliga, and with a squad consisting of World Cup winners and some of the best young talents in Europe... they're not a bad bunch.

But when did 'reality' ever have anything to do with it?

That's not what being a football fan is all about. And if the favourites always won, then we'd be in a very boring world altogether.

Just ask the fans at Plymouth Argyle and at Queen's Park if you need any recent examples.

For Celtic to do the unthinkable tonight, however, then we need a few things to happen.

First of all, we need our goalkeeper, Kasper Schmeichel, to have one of 'those games'. Think 19-year-old David Marshall at the Nou Camp in 2004, Artur Boruc versus Manchester United in 2006, or Fraser Forster against Barcelona in 2012.

If that's the case, and Cameron Carter-Vickers and co. can find a way to keep the Bayern frontline quiet, then we'll be halfway there.

Beyond that, we're then looking for a statement performance from one of Celtic's creative talents. Someone who has the ability to pull something out of nothing. And we have a few in our squad who have the ability to be that man.

Could it be that kind of night for man of the moment, Daizen Maeda? For Nicolas Kuhn back on home soil? For returning hero Jota to write the most spectacular of fairy tales?

Of course it could. There's ALWAYS a chance. And while that remains the case, we can head in to this one with all the hope we want as we get set to go toe-to-toe with one of European football's genuine big hitters.

Brendan Rodgers has urged his players to play without any fear, to leave it all out there, and to ensure they don't end the night with any regrets.

If they do that then I'm sure we'll all be happy, whatever scoreline we win by…

Tino can be found at the Celtic Exchange, external