Celtic captain Callum McGregor has reacted to the Hoops’ 1-1 draw at the Allianz Arena, which saw Bayern Munich progress to the Champions League last 16 with a 3-2 aggregate score.
Celtic would concede in the 94th minute, meaning the Hoops weren’t able to take the game to extra time. The Bhoys were unfortunate not to seal a win in normal time, with extra time appearing likely, but sadly, that wasn’t the case.
With McGregor often criticised for his lack of impact away from home in Europe, the Celtic skipper put in one of his greatest performances, not only in Europe but in a Celtic shirt.
The Hoops were spot on to a man, with the Celtic skipper reflecting on what was a cruel way to exit the Champions League in stoppage time.
He said: (Amazon Prime Video Sport), “Probably one of the cruelest, to be honest. The performance the players gave, they gave absolutely everything. And pushed a really good Bayern side all the way, right to the death, basically the last kick of the ball.
“Sometimes football’s cruel, you don’t always get what you deserve, but I have to say I’m so, so proud of the players and the way that they played, the way they handled themselves, and they gave absolutely everything. So we come off the pitch with no regrets.
“Listen, the boys gave an unbelievable effort and I want to focus on that because the performance was outstanding. Like I said, come away from home in Europe and play like that.
“First time in the Champions League knockout stage. Yeah, a lot of belief, a lot of confidence, a lot of growth in the boys and the players and the team. So we have to bank that and continue to build on it because I think anybody watching that game of football tonight will see a really good Celtic team.”
You can’t help but feel for McGregor and the Celtic players. The Scotsman has had a historic career in the Hoops since his debut in 2013, with an incredible list of trophies won domestically, but he, in particular, pushed his teammates on tonight to a level not reached in years in the Champions League.
Celtic were strong in all aspects of their game, making Bayern look spooked at the Allianz—something that didn’t appear likely ahead of the match. However, for Celtic, it’s an example that Brendan Rodgers has this team playing at an unbelievable level in his second spell, something that supporters could have only dreamed of when he returned to the club.
For Celtic and McGregor, it’s Hibernian next up, and it’s safe to say the whole of Europe, not only Scotland, will be praising the performance from the Hoops in Munich. It showed why the club is regarded as one of the best in the world.
