Rangers hero beams over Celtic heartbreak as Bayern star makes telling admission about game vs Hoops
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Celtic’s European adventure came to a holt despite a spirited showing in Munich
Celtic’s Champions League journey came to an end in gut-wrenching fashion as German heavyweights Bayern Munich found their way past a resilient defence to find an equaliser in a match which ultimately finished 3-2 to Vincent Kompany’s side on aggregate.
The Hoops trailed 2-1 and headed into the second leg with a mountain to climb at the Allianz Arena but made serious strides towards their goal by taking a shock lead through Nicolas Kuhn. Bayern stunned into action, pushed for an equaliser but struggled to find a way past Celtic’s disciplined backline until the last kick of the contest when Alphonso Davies blocked a Cameron Carter-Vickers clearance over the line.
It leaves Celtic now solely focused on the goal of achieving a domestic treble - and comes as a delight to Rangers fans as they look ahead to the knockout phase of the Europa League. After Celtic’s heartbreaking European exit we take a look at all the main headlines from both Old Firm clubs.
Rangers hero beams over Celtic heartbreak
Ex-Rangers striker Kris Boyd admits he had ‘never been so delighted to see the ball hit the back of the Celtic net’ after Bayern Munich’s dramatic equaliser against the Scottish champions at the Allianz Arena. Boyd told Sky Sports: “I've never been so delighted to see the ball at the back of Celtic net in all my life.
“But I think in terms of, you know, Brendan Rodgers and Celtic, when you look at how far they've came, and it was such a short period of time, considering the last visit to Germany, you know, they were on the end of a really, really embarrassing defeat for Celtic, obviously, losing seven one in Dortmund. But you know, they have recovered from that and some terrific performances, so much that, you know, between that Dortmund performance and obviously getting out the competition last night. But, you know, they have grown. I think there is players that have matured within the games that they've played.
Boyd added that the new Champions League format benefited Celtic and also allowed the group to develop as players: “It’s shown that, you know, with the new format. I think it gives teams like Celtic, you know, obviously Club Brugge came out, serious campaigners at this level, but it gives them more of an opportunity to get to the knockout stages.
“Yes, you look at the way the game, the games planned out and Celtic have beat and see the ones that were at the bottom, but you still got to beat them. They're all at Champions League level. They're all different games, and that's where Celtic have fallen in the past.
“Whereas you look at the performances as well going there and coming back home with a draw, Celtic have been, you know, they've not been disgraced, apart from that humiliated defeat in Germany to Borussia Dortmund, but apart from that, acquitted themselves well.
Boyd adds that Celtic were able to navigate the demands of the competition well while adapting their style to thrive in different types of matches: “And you can see as the longer the tournament went on. You know, Brendan Rodgers had obviously adapted his style, but the players had bought into it. And it can be difficult as well, because of the way Celtic play at home and they dominate every single game. That's not been the case as much in Europe, but I think there has been signs that they have been able to implement their own style of play on some big guns in Europe.”
Bayern Munich star makes telling admission
Experienced Bayern Munich star Joshua Kimmich admits the club are currently going through a slight dip but claims in the end the only important factor is that the team get the desired result to get them over the line.
The 30-year-old calmly told Amazon Prime reporters after the 1-1 draw with Celtic: "The last six days have been all about getting results. They were extremely exhausting days, including the travel. But those are the important moments in a season, when you don't play out of your mind and still deliver results and get through.”
Bayern Munich, who progressed to the last 16, will face either Atletico Madrid or reigning Bundesliga holders Bayer Leverkusen in the round-of-16.
