- Celtic almost pulled off the greatest upset in their recent European history
- Alphonso Davies had other ideas and cruelly knocked out the Scottish side
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Celtic‘s Champions League dreams were crushed in the cruellest fashion as they conceded in the 94th minute to crash out at Bayern Munich.
The Scottish champions were leading 1-0 on Tuesday night thanks to Nicolas-Gerrit Kuhn’s goal and were headed for extra-time with the aggregate score sat at 2-2.
Celtic have not made the last 16 since 2012-13 but against all the odds, Brendan Rodgers‘ side looked to have a chance after a battling performance at the Allianz Arena.
But in the final minute of stoppage time, Alphonso Davies pounced on a rebound after a Kasper Schmeichel save to prod home from close range and dump Celtic out of the Champions League.
Celtic’s stars collapsed to the turf, crestfallen, as Davies wheeled away in celebration and spared the blushes of Bayern, who have had an unconvincing season under Vincent Kompany.
All the same, this has been Celtic’s greatest Champions League campaign in recent memory after wins over Slovan Bratislava, RB Leipzig, and BSC Young Boys, as well as draws with Atalanta, Club Bruges, and Dinamo Zagreb has sent them into the knock-out play-offs.
Celtic were dumped out of the Champions League in heartbreaking fashion on Tuesday night
Alphonso Davies scored a 94th-minute rebound from yards away to knock Celtic out
Celtic drew 1-1 with Bayern Munich on the night but lost 3-2 on aggregate in the Champions League knock-out play-off
They walk away with £38million in prize money, more than any Scottish team has taken from this competition.
But the campaign has also helped them re-establish themselves as a force in Europe and this is something they can point to when pursuing stars in the transfer market.
‘The players gave absolutely everything and pushed a really good Bayern side all the way,’ captain Callum McGregor told Amazon Prime Video.
‘Sometimes football is cruel, you don’t always get what you deserve but I’m so, so proud of the players and they way they handled themselves. We come off the pitch with no regrets.
‘The template for the game was perfect. They were getting frustrated so the game was perfect for us.
‘It was set up up for us to nick the next (goal) as well and we still fancied ourselves if it went to extra time.’
Celtic had started fast but ultimately had to dig in, only having 33 per cent possession and managing five shots to Bayern’s 23.
But they had threatened on multiple occasions and former Bayern man Kuhn’s goal felt deserved when it arrived in the 63rd minute.
Brendan Rodgers hailed a ‘heroic’ effort from his stars and called their exit ‘cruel’
Kasper Schmeichel said the almost-miracle will ‘stand us in good stead for the future’
Rodgers, who almost oversaw one of the gretest European nights in the club’s history, felt his team could have gone all the way.
‘It was not what the players deserved, especially right at the very end,’ he told Amazon Prime Video.
‘The concentration was good, we denied them space, and we had quality, some great moves, and the best chances in the game. A real heroic performance and just unfortunate at the end.
‘We wanted to start the game fast. We wanted to have aggression and control in the game. We got into some great positions.
‘It was such a cruel way to go out of the competition.’
Goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel added: ‘Heroic performance, very brave, football is a cruel game sometimes.
‘When we take a step back over the next few days and analyse, the fact we’ve gone away to Bayern and are disappointed in drawing the game, that says a lot. It will stand us in good stead for the future.’
