CELTIC 1 CLUB BRUGGE 1
CELTIC had to settle for a point in a tense and dramatic Champions League encounter that was laced with blunders and brilliance at Parkhead tonight.
Brendan Rodgers’ side never came close to replicating the spectacular performance that decimated RB Leipzig three weeks ago and played for most of this match at half-pace against a very capable Belgian team.
THE BLUNDER was supplied by an x-certificate own goal from Cameron Carter-Vickers that sent the hosts in a goal down at half-time.
THE BRILLIANCE came from Daizen Maeda who produced a breathtaking equaliser on the hour mark at the stage the home side and the fans were crying out for something special.
Once the smoke of battle had cleared, Rodgers’ men were left with eight points and a match against Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia next month to look forward to in matchday eight of the new-look competition.
HOWLER…Cameron Carter-Vickers prepares to pass back to and empty goal and (below) Kasper Schmeichel is helpless as the ba;; rolls into the net much to the joy on Club Brugge’s Maxim de Cuyper.
The hosts were caught sleepwalking through a first-half nightmare as they trailed to a horrendous own goal from Carter-Vickers.
The normally-reliable centre-back had a moment of utter calamity in the 26th minute when he rolled the ball into his own net to gift the Belgians the lead.
The defender took a pass from Nicolas Kuhn about 10 yards out and, without looking to check where his keeper was, hit a passback that left Kasper Schmeichel, who had made an angle for the winger, desperately trying to bail out his team-mate.
However, the Dane was out of luck as the ball found the far corner and the visitors, by far the superior side in the opening period, celebrated their good fortune.
For a split-second the home crowd were struck dumb as Carter-Vickers held his head in his hands as the consequences of his crucial moment of switching off hit him with a vengeance.
The Hoops were far removed from the side that lit of the east end of Glasgow against their Bundesliga opponents on Fireworks’ Night.
CONCERNED…Brendan Rodgers watches Celtic toil.
The Belgians dictated the tempo, snapped into challenges and utilised space behind Alistair Johnston and Greg Taylor who toiled to contribute anything to the attack.
Reo Hatate was a one-man disaster area in the middle of the park as he surrendered possession at vital times and his first lapse in five minutes almost presented the visitors with an early breakthrough.
He was way too easily dispossessed inside his own half and the ball was worked through to Christos Tzolis whose wicked drive whipped just wide of the left-hand post with Schmeichel diving desperately.
The out-of-sorts Japanese international put pressure on his rearguard midway through the half with a bizarre attempt at a clearance, but the danger was cleared by the joint effort of Carter-Vickers and Johnston.
Kuhn, the hero last time around, was being guarded by the watchful Brugge defence, but he did fashion an opening with a clever angled ball into the box. Unfortunately, Hatate’s diving header failed to test Simon Mingolet.
The German winger then set off on a mazy run as half-time approached, but he ran out of options and the ball was booted to safety.
ROARING SUCCESS…Daizen Maeda celebrates his brilliant leveller.
The second-half was only two minutes old when Schmeichel rescued the team with a truly stupendous full-length dive to his left to fingertip a scorching drive from Maxim de Cuyper past the post.
It was yet another wake-up call for Rodgers’ side who looked strangely subdued and one-paced.
The Hoops did show a flash of menace when the ever-busy Callum McGregor set up Hatate 20 yards out, but he pulled his shot wide of Mignolet’s left-hand upright.
In the 59th minute, Paulo Bernardo and Alex Valle replaced Engels and Taylor as Rodgers freshened up his team.
Sixty seconds later, the on-loan Barcelona left-back combined with McGregor to set up Maeda on the left wing.
The inexhaustible raider chopped inside his opponent and thundered an unstoppable angled drive beyond the stranded Mignolet.
It was a moment of delight and relief for the players and the fans alike and suddenly it looked as though the game was turning.
However, nine minutes later Hatate, having an awful evening, gave the ball away after collecting a throw-out from Schmeichel.
The Belgians worked the ball forward and Ferren Jutla silenced the home fans for a second time with a low shot into the net past the stranded Schmeichel.
VAR came to the Hoops rescue when it flagged up the Belgian was offside before he fired home.
Moments later, Bernardo worked an opening on the edge of the box as he worked the ball from his left to right foot to leave Mingolet stranded with a low drive, but, unfortunately, his effort was a foot or so wide of the right-hand post.
GRIM AND BEAR IT…Paulo Bernardo sinces as his shot sneaks past the post.
In the 76th minute, James Forrest and Adam Idah came on for Maeda and Kyogo and 12 minutes later Yang Hyun-jun replaced Kuhn.
With just a minute of the regulation 90 to go, Bernardo picked out Hatate totally unmarked on the edge of the box with a right-wing corner-kick straight from the training ground.
The crowd held its breath for a heartbeat, wondering if a grand finale was on its way. Alas, the midfielder’s first-time drive was wildly off target and the last chance was gone.
Thankfully, though, Celtic live to fight another day.
TEAM: Schmeichel; Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Trusty, Taylor (sub: Valle 59); Engels (sub: Bernardo 59), McGregor, Hatate; Kuhn (sub: Yang 88), Kyogo (sub: Idah 76), Maeda (sub: Forrest 76).
