Nothing beats a Champions League match under the disco lights at Celtic Park, last night’s game was a great battle between two great teams, Bayern Munchen are among the Elite Teams of European Football, with a great football history, known as the Hollywood Team, and for good reason. We are still very much in the tie, although you have to admit it will take a top notch display to win in Munich, but we are capable of achieving it, so we must believe.
It was almost a dream start with Nicolas scoring inside thirty seconds, I think it was a bit harsh to judge that Adam Idah was blocking the keepers sight, I think Senor Manzano was helping Manuel Neuer out, because he was well beaten by Nico’s strike. It was a brilliant start by Celtic, and would certainly have shocked the Bayern team, but it was not to be. The same could be said of the penalty shout for Celtic, had that been given and we had scored it would have given us more time to get a second, and we did eventually score through Daizen once again. It seemed a bit strange to take so much time looking at the VAR, then sending the referee to look for himself, then he denies us the penalty, how does the referees in the VAR room and the on field referee see it so different?
I know some people thought we would get battered last night, I certainly thought we had a chance, but we would need to be on our A game for the whole game, their first goal was a brilliant strike, two keepers wouldn’t have saved it, but we could have prevented Olise getting the shot off in the first place. Then we left one of the top strikers in the world unmarked at the back post at a corner, I bet that’s the first time Harry Kane has found himself in that position. I think at the start of the season we were looking to progress in Europe, I don’t think anyone can say we haven’t achieved that, by qualifying for the knock-out stages. We have also came up against one of very top teams in the competition and gave them a right hard game. Apart from away in Dortmund we have performed well against very good teams, in Atalanta, Brugge, Leipzig, and Villa, and that was our first defeat at home, a definite improvement on previous years.
So we look forward to next week in Munich was a fair bit of optimism, sure we are playing against a massive club, but Celtic are also a massive club, and we have a history of winning away when we were the underdogs, just ask Liverpool, Ajax, Lazio et al. Once again we will need the help of our support, it can lift this team to new heights, so we need to let them hear us throughout the whole game. And one more thing, “Leave the pyro at home please” we are one pyro away from a supporter’s ban, so anyone thinking it would be a good idea to have one, then think of a better idea, like don’t have one.
Glasgow’s still Green & White.
