3 Celtic talking points as Club Brugge draw keeps Rodgers' men in healthy position for UCL progression

Daizen Maeda was the Celtic hero against Club Brugge as he cancelled out team-mate Cameron Carter-Vickers horrendous own goal to keep Brendan Rodgers’ side in the hunt for a place in the knockout stages of the Champions League last night.

The Hoops knew a third home win in the competition’s new-look league phase would move them on to the brink of the last-16 but they endured a nightmare start at home to the Belgian champions when Carter-Vickers inexplicably rolled the ball into his own net under pressure.

From there on, Celtic took a long time to click into gear against classy opposition who passed up a number of opportunities to double their lead in a first-half they dominated. It was only until Maeda curled home a wonderful strike in off the post to haul the Parkhead outfit level did Celtic start to up the ante.

Following Ferran Jutgla’s goal, which was disallowed for offside after a VAR check, Celtic had chances to go in front but in the end they had to be content with a precious point that sees them remains among the top 24 teams with just three games left to play.

Here, GlasgowWorld reflects on three burning post-match talking points as Celtic rescued a Champions League draw following a strong second half performance at Parkhead...

Brugge start with a swagger

It’s normally Celtic who are known for their lightening-fast starts on home soil, especially in the Champions League this season. But Club Brugge got at Brendan Rodgers’ side straight from the first whistle and didn’t allow them to settle into any sort of rhythm during the first-half. They had the Hoops pinned back inside their own half and were first to every loose ball. Their passing was sharp and decisive when they were in possession and made the Celts work extremely hard to win it back.

The Belgians were oozing confidence on the ball which unsettled the home crowd, with the midfield duo of Ardon Jashari and Hans Vanaken, in particular, dictating the play as Celtic struggled to get a foothold in the match. And it was no surprise really when the did make the breakthrough, albeit in fortuitous circumstances.

Impromptu huddle helps Celts get act together

Celtic were attempting to play out from the back with some high-risk passing, only for Carter-Vickers to totally lose his bearings and pass the ball into his own net after 26 minutes. It was an appalling way to concede, but the immediate action of both goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel and skipper Callum McGregor as soon as the ball hit the back of the net was noteworthy.

Both players summoned their team mates together in an impromptu huddle - which is normally a pre-match ritual - to try and figure out why they were being outplayed and allowing the game to pass them by in the first-half. It seemed to have the desired effect as Maeda equalised during a much-improved second half display.

Engels flatters to deceive again

It’s still early enough in Arne Engels’ Celtic career but the midfielder is clearly going through a difficult patch in terms of his overall form. The £11m summer signing looks a player short of confidence at present and that was evident again here. The 21-year-old would have been eager to impress against the club he began his career at but he made next to no impact at all once again and was hooked on the hour mark by Rodgers.

Engels chose the safe option far too often and he rarely broke forward at speed to get into the opposition box. Another hugely underwhelming performance from the man Celtic were willing to break their transfer record on. A major improvement is needed.