Celtic star got 'lost in translation' for Club Brugge OG as reason behind inspired first-half huddle explained

Celtic defender Alistair Johnston has praised team mate Kasper Schmeichel for deciding to call an impromptu huddle after Cameron Carter-Vickers’ moment of madness against Club Brugge in the Champions League.

The Danish international was unable to prevent Carter-Vickers wayward back pass from trundling over the line to given the Belgian champions a first-half lead at Parkhead on Wednesday night.

Immediately after the incident, the veteran goalkeeper took action by calling every Hoops player over to remedy their disappointing start to the match and the move ultimately paid off as Daizen Maeda’s second half goal rescued a 1-1 draw for Brendan Rodgers’ side.

It helped the Premiership leaders climb to 20th in the league phase table and requiring just one more victory to see them through to the knockout stages. And Johnston hailed Schmeichel’s quick-thinking and camaraderie after admitting they were “all over the place” during the opening 25 minutes.

He reckons the huddle helped to calm things down and gave them fresh impetus to level the tie after the break. Johnston said: “That was the right moment for it. We were a little bit all over the place. Brugge were pressing a little higher than we were expecting, and even then I don't think we were making the in-game adjustments we needed.

“It was about calling everyone in, and calming everything down. Again, no one was really shell-shocked or anything. It was just about taking a deep breath and playing through it. If they were going to do that then let's use our front men, use our pace, and put some fear into them. I do think we picked it up, and it was a much better second half to give us the result we really needed.

“We need to get as many points as possible, so I don't think anyone could be too disappointed with a draw. Zagreb is a couple of weeks away, so we are focused on Ross County now.

“We have the confidence in the group, no matter the game or how hostile the environment - we are ready for anything that's thrown at us. I'm guessing it will be pretty crazy in Croatia, but it's an exciting match ahead. If it happens to anyone, big CCV is least likely to be rocked by it. He's pretty strong mentally. It's going to happen every once in a while as a backline.

“When you want to play out from the back and there's high pressure, sometimes things are going to get a little lost in translation. He thought Kasper was in one place, he wasn't. It ended up being a great finish! Cam is one of those guys that you don't really have to worry about that kind of stuff.”