GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - FEBRUARY 12: Celtic's Daizen Maeda (centre) celebrates pulling a goal back to make it 2-1 during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Knockout Play-off first leg match between Celtic and FC Bayern Munich at Celtic Park, on February 12, 2025, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Craig Foy/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Chris Sutton praised Celtic’s bravery and resilience in the 2-1 defeat at home to Bayern Munich.
It leaves the hoops almost certainly out of the Champions League but there was plenty of areas of encouragement for the home side, especially in the last 20 minutes.
Bayern took the lead on the stroke of half time through Michael Olise after he cut in off the right to fire an unstoppable shot past Kasper Schmeichel.
Celtic first half played with a bit of fear. After Bayern Munich got the second Celtic played with the desired bravery and kept fighting. Tremendous finish to the game. Plenty of desire and resilience and more belief in the final third. It’ll be tough in Munich mind?
— Chris Sutton (@chris_sutton73) February 12, 2025
Celtic were out-pressed and out-played for much of the match but refused to buckle against the Bundesliga leaders.
When Harry Kane put Bayern 2-0 up in the 49th minute it looked ominous for the home side but gradually Celtic got a foothold in the match as Bayern eased off with Leverkusen to face on Saturday.
Celtic had strong claims for a penalty waved away but in the 79th minute Maeda scored with a close range header during the hoops best spell of the match.
Seven minutes of stoppage time was added, mainly for the VAR check on the penalty but Celtic were unable to force an equaliser.
The return leg on Tuesday is a daunting prospect but a 2-1 defeat to Bayern is nothing to be ashamed of with the Germans demonstrating their class during a near flawless first 70 minutes.
(Photo by Craig Foy/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Both their goals were preventable, Joe, especially the second. I thought Yang, Schluup and Daizen were the positives. I couldn’t believe Idah ran offside for our first and we were denied a definite penalty. The board gave up on this tie in January.
Never a penalty kick.
Agree. For the first, just required Taylor who had clear sight to see the long ball from midfield was coming his way and just needed to step forward just before the delivery , would have caught the scorer in an offside position. For the second, had two defenders within a foot of each other , and totally neglecting Kane as if he wasnt relevant! And for walloper Idah. Did he not get the message after YB game that goals are so hard to come by in CL, its a criminal offence to have perfectly good goals chalked off by needless off-sides. I am sure Rodgers had hammered that message into them before the game yet he still shits the bed in the first minute! Gombeen!
Idah is a joke. Maeda did more in 30 minutes as striker than Idah did in 60 – and he cost us Kuhn’s goal.
Certainly hope i never see Reo Hatate in a Celtic shirt again. Woeful footballer.
Agree. Shows no creativity as a midfielder, 3 out of 4 passes never reach their target. Luke McCowan twice the player and twice more likely to nick a goal. Just cant see what Rodgers sees i him.should have got the early hook in that game for sure.
Hatate is the most frustrating footballer Ive ever seen, clearly a baller, but his concentration is appalling, he takes me back to Efe Ambrose days, u just know he’s gonna drop a bomb at the wrong time, u get away with that in the SPL but not against teams like Bayern.
We were steamrollered in midfield with our three lightweight players so we could not hold on to the ball and it kept coming back at us. Brendan can be frustrating as I felt we needed another body in midfield to help but he rigidly sticks to his favourite and only (it seems) shape
Calmac ran into trouble a couple times in really bad places simply because he could not take the ball forward on his right foot, got caught moving it to his left which forced him back. Cannot understand professional players who train daily and are so one footed. I’m 62 and when we were young kids we had to practice for hours taking corners and free kicks with our other foot until we could use it well. No excuse for being single footed, has to be a lack of desire to get better