BRENDAN RODGERS was left with mixed emotions after Celtic came so close to a rare away day success in their 1-1 Champions League draw with Borussia Monchengladbach in Germany last night.
Moussa Dembele’s 76th-minute penalty-kick secured a deserved point, but the Hoops boss was gutted that sub Callum McGregor wasted an ideal opportunity to win the tie.
Rodgers said: “I’m disappointed we didn’t win the game. I thought we were the better team. I’m really proud of the players because I said them that, in order for us to improve, we needed to play with personality.
“And the personality we showed in the game was outstanding.
“We were very brave on the ball and opened up the pitch to play. We built the game and secured the game, created chances with real speed on the counter-attack and we had chances to win.
“We hit the post and could have scored at the end. He’s either got to score or he’s got to square it to finish.
“Callum arrived into the box and had his shot and, unfortunately, it didn’t go in. It was very important to create the opportunity, but that was the moment we felt that we could win it.
“I thought some of our link-up play, some of the combination play to create the possibilities, was excellent.
“But that result was no more that we deserved. It was an outstanding team performance and the beginning for us, really, at this level in terms of the personality we need to play with.
“I said to the players beforehand that win, lose or draw, I wanted us to play the way we know we can. I wanted to show we can come away to a really tough place in Europe and perform.
“So, for me, they deserve a huge amount of credit. The pitch was actually difficult, it was a bit bobbly and didn’t quite run as smoothly as it maybe looked.
“But they kept calm and composed and it’s a result that keeps us in there fighting.
“We always knew this was going to be a difficult group, but that performance makes me very proud.
“It’s another step forward for this team, a result which gives them that belief that they can perform well.”
