DINAMO ZAGREB 0 CELTIC 0
CELTIC had to settle for a point in a blankety-blank performance in Croatia this evening.
They now have nine points in their quest to seal a place in the Champions League play-offs, but Brendan Rodgers and his players will find out at some stage if this was an opportunity missed.
One point won? Or two points dropped? Only time will tell, but this was a game that was there for the taking, of that there is no doubt.
Bizarrely, the best save of the game came from Kasper Schmeichel in the 80th minute when he rose superbly to touch over a six-yard header from Mardo Pjaca as it raged towards the roof of his net.
It would have been an injustice on an evening when the Hoops looked in control, but, alas, just lacked that cutting edge.
The visitors looked comfortable and dominated possession in the opening half without putting too much pressure on the home goal.
A ROUND OF APPLAUSE…Kasper Schmeichel was the man who mattered with a timely save.
Paulo Bernardo was just off target with a wicked 20-yard free-kick in the 16th minute that carried just over the crossbar and there was a scare for keeper Danijel Zagorac just after the half-hour mark when the Hoops threatened to claim the barrier-breaking opener.
The lively Nicolas Kuhn carved open space for himself in the box with a clever sharp turn to take him to the byline.
The German winger tried to pick out Kyogo Furuhashi in front of goal with a low cross, but Zagorac got down swiftly to smuggle the ball past the post for a corner-kick.
At the other end, Schmeichel did not have a direct shot to deal with as Cameron Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty dovetailed well in front of him.
Dinamo seemed to be relying on the counter-attack to achieve something from the encounter and they broke swiftly, but the visitors’ rearguard were dealing well with their threats.
Rodgers was forced into a change at the interval with Alistair Johnston, the recipient of a nasty challenge just before half-time, being left indoors with Anthony Ralston taking over at right-back.
Inside the opening minute of the restart, keeper Zagorac was forced to hammer the ball out for a throw-in as Kyogo challenged in his usual fashion.
In the 50th minute, Kuhn had a strong drive diverted for a corner-kick as the Hoops continued to surge forward in search of the win that could open the door to the riches of the later stages of the competition.
There was a fright when a swipe from Greg Taylor fell invitingly into his own penalty area and an opponent snapped in a low drive, but Schmeichel was in the right position at the right time and smothered the effort.
In the 65th minute, Hatate and Bernardo made way for Arne Engels and Luke McCowan as Rodgers looked for fresh legs in midfield.
Shortly afterwards, McCowan raced onto a pass from Callum McGregor to flash a low drive at goal, but the keeper got down well to hold the ball to his left.
In the 72nd minute, Adam Idah and James Forrest joined the action at the expense of Kyogo and Daizen Maeda.
A BIG HAND…Brendan Rodgers acknowledges the effort.
Celtic still took the game to Dinamo, but couldn’t work a clear-cut chance and then Schmeichel produced a big save to make sure they didn’t shoot themselves in the foot.
A last-ditch intervention prevented the Hoops from claiming what surely would have been the winner after a swift move on the left saw Forrest release Engels with a peach of a pass.
The Belgian whipped over an inviting low cross and Idah looked poised smack in front of goal to pull the trigger until a defender appeared from seemingly nowhere to block the pass.
In that moment, Celtic realised they would have to settle for a point.
The Champions League circus now rolls onto January 22 next year when Rodgers’ men welcome Switzerland’s Young Boys to the east end of Glasgow before the qualifying stages come to a completion a week later with a match against Aston Villa in the Midlands.
TEAM: Schmeichel; Johnston (sub: Ralston 46), Carter-Vickers, Trusty, Taylor; Bernardo (sub: McCowan 65), McGregor, Hatate (sub: Engels 65); Kuhn, Kyogo, Maeda.
