The Belgian media thinks Club Brugge were the better side in last night’s 1-1 draw at Celtic Park and are worried the visitors’ missed chances might come back to haunt them.
Brugge’s early dominance culminated in a 26th-minute opener, which came from a calamitous moment of madness in the Hoops’ rearguard.
The usually ever-reliable Cameron Carter-Vickers didn’t look up when passing back to goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel. He thought the Dane was on a different side of his goal than he was, and the ball trickled into an empty net.
Celtic dug in admirably to find themselves level on the hour mark, thanks to a terrific turn and finish from the electric Daizen Maeda.
The game petered out in the last 30 minutes as both sides were cagey and seemingly content with a point apiece.
Belgian Media Rue Brugge’s Missed Opportunity
Several Belgian outlets believe Nicky Heyen’s side missed a chance to pick up three points last night.
La Derniere Heure Sports think Brugge ‘wasted’ their opportunities against Celtic and had a ‘golden opportunity’ to win: “Club Brugge can once again have regrets in this Champions League. The Blauw & Zwart had everything in hand against Celtic, but they had to finally settle for a draw (1-1), which did not really suit them.”
Elsewhere, while Niewsblad took a similar stance on missed chances, they humorously quipped that as they were beginning to write about a Brugge victory, Daizen Maeda struck to make it 1-1: “Just as we were starting to pencil in Club’s victory at the back of this article, the 1-1 came out of nowhere. Left-winger Daizen Maeda had been the only one who could do anything for Celtic during the entire match.
“On the hour, the Japanese player dove behind Joaquin Seys, cut inside and curled the ball in from a very sharp angle via the far post. Great goal.”
Niewsblad also thought the ‘footballing gods’ sided with Brugge but that they could regret how nonclinical they were in front of goal.
They penned: “A strong blue-black was the better team for a long time when visiting Celtic and was helped back into the saddle by a super blunder from the opponent. But then it failed to convert its chances and still succumbed to the 1-1. Let’s hope this doesn’t end up being sour in the final reckoning.”
For Celtic, taking a point last night can be seen as entirely positive.
In years gone by, they would have likely lost games like last night’s, although they showed a supreme level of grit, determination, and quality to secure what could be a vital point come the end of the league phase.
