Celtic’s draw with Clubb Brugge was one that offered mixed Champions League emotions for the fans last night.
The pain and agony of Cameron Carter-Vickers’ Celtic own goal was offset partly by the joy and elation of Daizen Maeda’s superb equaliser for the Hoops against Brugge.
Celtic’s draw with Brugge keeps the Parkhead club’s hopes of Champions League qualification very much alive with three games to go.
But whilst the Celtic fans celebrated Maeda’s fine strike, Club Brugge legend, Marc Degryse, shared the reaction of one of the Belgian side’s players as the ball nestled into the back of the Pro League side’s net.
Club Brugge’s Joaquin Seys had ‘head in his hands’ after Daizen Maeda’s Celtic goal
Degryse said via the Daily Record, “A goal like that is almost impossible to stop.
“It was just a brilliant goal. How Daizen Maeda manages to beat Simon Mignolet from an angle like that I will never know. A perfect goal.
“I saw the young defender Joaquin Seys with his head in his hands after the goal and he clearly blamed himself for it. But he really shouldn’t torture himself about a moment like that.
“It was a goal of a genius.
Not quite head in hands but the young defender looked absolutely gutted that he let Maeda get the shot away.
Celtic’s Champions League progression path after Club Brugge draw
Celtic are four points clear of the elimination zone that includes the likes of PSG, Bologna, RB Leipzig and VfB Stuttgart.
To stay in the unseeded play-off places Celtic will need to avoid two defeats from their remaining three games.
For qualification into the seeded play-off positions, Brendan Rodgers will probably need four points out of the remaining three matches.
As for automatic qualification, three wins against Dinamo Zagreb, Young Boys and Aston Villa will guarantee that and whilst that is unlikely, Celtic supporters can but dream.
