Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers was open and honest about the Hoops’ exit from the Champions League at the Allianz after a superb performance in Munich.
Celtic exited 3-2 on aggregate after a 1-1 draw in Germany. However, that doesn’t tell the full story of the game.
Bayern were extremely fortunate to avoid extra time with a last-minute goal from Alphonso Davies, but Celtic appeared comfortable in the game at one of the toughest arenas to play in world football.
For Rodgers, his second spell at the club has reached a height that supporters could have only dreamed of, but is now a reality. The Irishman is truly a special manager, and although his exit from the club in 2019 will never be forgotten, the decision to come back to Celtic shows that he didn’t want that move to Leicester to define his Hoops legacy.
With Rodgers emphasising how unlucky Celtic were not to take the game to extra time in his post-match comments.
He said: (Amazon Prime Video Sport), “It was [a suckerpunch], not what the players deserved especially right at the very end. They gave so much to the game.
“We didn’t give away too much, I felt our concentration was good and denied them space, and then we had some quality and great moves, and actually had the best chances in the game I felt.
“A real heroic performance, just unfortunate at the end. It was just such a cruel way to not even lose the game but to go out of the competition.
“I think our European credibility has been restored this season, I think we’d built that up from last year, that’s my takeaway from this season.”
Celtic’s performances in Europe over the last 12 years have been rightly questioned. However, those questions won’t be asked anymore after tonight. Bayern looked well and truly spooked by the Hoops’ balance of high pressing and effective possession.
For Rodgers, he has shown why, if the club continues to back him in the transfer market, he will take this team up a gear window by window.
Celtic have set themselves the benchmark—this is the level the team needs to be reaching more often. Rodgers has shown he can achieve this, with the Hoops’ European pedigree well and truly restored after a cruel end to the game.
