Pat Nevin wasn’t ‘mildly surprised’ by Celtic’s 3-1 win over RB Leipzig last night, hailing their pressing as ‘world-class’ in the dominant victory.
Although Christoph Baumgartner gave the visitors an early lead, the Hoops fought back and found themselves level through a delightful Nicolas Kuhn dink.
The German – described as a ‘no name’ by Bild – then struck again moments later, rattling in at the back post to give the Hoops a 2-1 lead.
Reo Hatate put the hosts in dreamland with 18 minutes to go, tapping in after some questionable Peter Gulasci goalkeeping.
Celtic have earned their fair share of praise in the aftermath of last night’s win, with pundit Pat Nevin the latest to wax lyrical about the Scottish Premiership champions.
Speaking live on BBC Radio Scotland after last night’s match, the former Everton and Chelsea winger praised the Bhoys: “Give Kuhn his moment, but give every player their moment,” he said.Â
“They were all eights and nines tonight. Nine-and-a-half from McGregor, he was extraordinary.
“Celtic are a better team than RB Leipzig. It’s not a one-off or a bit of luck. Celtic, player for player, are better than RB Leipzig. I’m not mildly surprised by this.
“If you want to know how to do closing down high up the pitch, get a video of that [second goal]. You don’t do it any better than that. That’s world class.”
Aside from a shaky spell in the first half, during which Leipzig had most of their chances and scored their sole goal, Celtic dominated the Germans.
The hosts didn’t allow their opponents a sniff in the second half, stamping their authority on the game and refusing to cave in, which they have been guilty of in previous years in the Champions League.
They showed countless positive signs in what felt like a statement victory.
Celtic seem to have turned a corner in Europe. They will now look ahead to games against Club Brugge, Dinamo Zagreb, and Young Boys as they aim to reach the last-16 play-offs.
