At 2-0 down, Celtic have been staring on the invidious situation of a box-ticking train in Munich subsequent week. Their response, clawing their method again into this tie through Daizen Maeda, permitted contemporary hope.
Bayern Munich will stay the favourites to progress to the final 16. Certainly, for 78 minutes they regarded irritated at being compelled to play an additional couple of video games to get there. But Celtic are due reward for his or her refusal to wilt towards such stellar opposition. They may consider they will trigger additional Bayern scares within the Allianz Area.
Celtic had already reached Brendan Rodgers’ said purpose by qualifying for this playoff within the first place. But, to their credit score, there was no sense of the Scottish champions settling for this place. A sequence of robust house European performances – Celtic have been unbeaten in six – raised confidence for Bayern’s go to. Inside 30 seconds, an already fevered ambiance was raised an additional notch when Nicolas Kühn minimize in from the left and unleashed a low shot previous Manuel Neuer. The issue was, Adam Idah had moved into an offside place immediately in entrance of Bayern’s veteran goalkeeper.
It felt as if Bayern heeded the warning. They dominated possession for the remainder of the opening interval, Leroy Sané proving a selected menace to the Celtic defence. The guests didn’t a lot deploy a excessive press as an outright suffocation tactic. Michael Olise was the primary to correctly check Kasper Schmeichel, although, after a one-two with Harry Kane. Schmeichel subsequently dived to bat away a teasing Kane cross. Within the stands, the vociferous Bayern contingent unveiled banners that appeared to take purpose at their very own membership for not donning their conventional pink and white strip. Bayern’s away colors – a slightly vulgar mixture of black, inexperienced and pink – have been on show. Uefa had apparently deemed the writing on Bayern’s house package to be unreadable. Unusual enterprise.
Additionally peculiar was seeing Celtic restricted so closely on their very own pitch. Bayern’s passing, motion and physicality was a pleasure to behold at instances. Not that they created a lot by the use of clear minimize alternatives within the opening 45 minutes. Schmeichel saved excellently at point-blank vary from Kane however there was an offside within the buildup. Celtic’s organisation had been wonderful; it was simply that crossing the midway line was a novelty.
Kane ought to have put Bayern in entrance three minutes earlier than the break. As a substitute, the England captain headed into the side-netting from Olise’s nook. Simply as Bayern’s lack of ruthlessness threatened to be pricey, Olise opened the scoring in emphatic fashion. The 23-year-old lashed a terrific, left-footed shot excessive past the despairing Schmeichel proper on half time. Olise had benefitted from the break of the ball, 20 yards out. Bayern merited their lead, with Celtic left to rue the timing of them claiming it.
Kane regarded upset by his uncommon wastefulness. He was to atone for it, peeling away from the Celtic defence to fulfill an inswinging Joshua Kimmich nook. The volley hit the web as Schmeichel hit the turf. This was Kane’s twenty ninth purpose of the marketing campaign. With 40 minutes of the primary leg nonetheless to play, the hosts needed to in some way alter the sense that the tie was over. Reo Hatate supplied hope. The Celtic midfielder met an Arne Engels cut-back, solely to see his shot deflected broad.
Officialdom virtually gave Celtic a serving to hand. There was no enchantment for a foul on Engels contained in the Bayern penalty space and the assistant referee flagged for an offside. The VAR determined Jesús Gil Manzano, the referee, ought to assessment the matter. After what felt an interminable delay, the Spanish official determined there was no trigger to award a spot-kick. Replays did counsel Dayot Upamecano took the ball earlier than minimal contact with Engels. It was puzzling, in truth, that the VAR bought concerned in any respect.
Rodgers turned to Jota in a bid to extend Celtic’s effectiveness going ahead. Vincent Kompany spared Sané and Olise the closing 25 minutes. Their replacements, Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry, have been unlikely to make Celtic breath a lot simpler.
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Certainly, Schmeichel produced a high quality low block from Gnabry as Bayern chased No 3. Neuer’s failure to fulfill a again move allowed Maeda a possibility, which the Japanese ahead flashed throughout purpose.
Maeda made no mistake along with his subsequent probability, affording Celtic unlikely salvation. An Engels nook was met by Auston Trusty and Yang Hyun-jun earlier than touchdown on the top of Maeda. He nodded house from shut vary. This time, Celtic survived a VAR examine for offside.
Alistair Johnston stung Neuer’s palms as seven minutes of stoppage time started. Celtic really completed on the entrance foot, with Bayern displaying indicators of jitters. Rodgers could have no concern heading to Munich.
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