Brendan Rodgers praised the resilience of his Celtic gamers and insisted they’re nonetheless alive within the Champions League play-off conflict with Bayern Munich regardless of falling to a 2-1 first-leg defeat.
The German giants scored twice in a four-minute burst both facet of half-time as targets from Michael Olise and Harry Kane gave them a commanding 2-0 lead.
However Celtic refused to buckle and managed to stay within the combat when Daizen Maeda pulled a purpose again 11 minutes from time.
Conscious his group face a tall order in subsequent week’s second leg in Munich, Rodgers urged them to have ‘no regrets’ after clawing their manner again into the tie.
‘We’re nonetheless proper within the tie and it was about staying alive within the recreation,’ he mentioned.
‘We’ve got yet one more shot, so let’s go to Munich and don’t have any regrets.
Daizen Maeda nods dwelling the purpose which has given Celtic a slender lifeline in play-off tie
The Japanese star celebrates along with his team-mates after his purpose decreased deficit at Celtic Park
Brendan Rodgers seeks extra from his gamers as they go searching for a valuable equaliser
‘This can be a new degree for lots of the gamers they usually have completed completely nice. However let’s go subsequent week and see the place it takes us.
‘The tie remains to be within the steadiness. It’s nonetheless tight. If we defend robust and compete, we’ve got proven we are able to play and be a menace.
‘We’ve proven a spirit on this competitors and a spirit and mentality that we’re bettering and getting higher.
‘A part of that’s you realize you need to undergo at this degree however you need to have the flexibility to come back again. That’s what makes me proud on the finish of the sport as a result of you may at all times lose at this degree.
‘At this stage of the competitors, the standard goes up. However what must not ever occur is you need to by no means be damaged. And the gamers, they weren’t damaged.
‘We are going to take confidence from the final interval of the sport and I’m wanting ahead to subsequent Tuesday already.
‘It was at all times going to be an enormous problem for us. We’re at all times going to be the underdog on this tie. You see Bayern’s degree, their high quality.
‘However we hung in there in opposition to a extremely, actually powerful facet and we gave them issues. So we’ll take confidence from that.
Michael Olise fired dwelling an unstoppable shot to offer Bayern Munich a 1-0 lead
Harry Kane made it 2-0 for the German giants with a beautiful volley within the second half
Striker Kane runs away to have a good time after scoring for Bayern Munich within the forty ninth minute
‘We go over subsequent week. It’s an enormous problem, after all it’s. However we’re nonetheless within the tie. It’ll be powerful, nevertheless it’s nonetheless a risk [to go through].’
Celtic thought they had been off to the proper begin contained in the opening 30 seconds when Nicolas Kuhn fired low previous Manuel Neuer, just for his effort to be dominated out as a consequence of Adam Idah being offside.
Bayern took a agency grip on the sport when Olise and Kane struck both facet of half-time, however Maeda’s late purpose gave Celtic a lifeline.
The Germans seemed rattled – and Rodgers believes Celtic may effectively have snatched an equaliser such was the strain they had been making use of.
‘I assumed we’d obtained off to the proper begin however the purpose wasn’t given,’ he mirrored. ‘We had been a bit passive in our urgent early on however we had been secure with out the ball.
‘It was about us being extra aggressive within the second half, however one participant you don’t depart unmarked at a nook is arguably the very best striker in world soccer [Kane].
‘At 2-0, we made the adjustments however we had been urgent within the final 25 minutes and had been extra lively on the prime finish.
‘You then see what it introduced. Our soccer got here alive and we obtained the purpose. Bayern had been hanging on then at 2-1 and that’s what we are able to take from the sport.’
Vincent Kompany warned his gamers the tie is just not over after Maeda’s purpose for Celtic
Michael Olise is congratulated by team-mates after his surprise purpose simply earlier than the break
Maeda additionally believes his late purpose offers Celtic hope of turning the tie round.
Freed to play after his attraction in opposition to a two-game ban, the winger’s close-range end ensured Vincent Kompany’s facet nonetheless have work to do.
‘There’s an enormous distinction between going there with a 2-0 and a 2-1,’ mentioned Maeda. ‘So, I feel it was a vital purpose.’
Requested if he believed Celtic may get a lead to Germany, he added: ‘Sure, after all. If we had performed like that from the primary minutes of the primary half then we may’ve had extra alternatives. We are going to attempt to play as we did within the second half from the start in Germany.
‘For this recreation, clearly I assumed I’m not going to play. So, I used to be making an attempt to recuperate slowly in direction of the weekend recreation. Nonetheless, in a great way it modified.
‘It wasn’t tough to regulate the circumstances and it was good to get the purpose.’
