The Champions League has brought some great joy to the Celtic supporters this season as they have watched their team mix it up with Europe’s elite.
With two wins, a draw and a defeat, the new Champions League format is proving to suit Celtic as the Bhoys recorded a draw against Club Brugge last night.
The fans were expecting Celtic to kick on from the hammering of RB Leipzig and collect another three points in their quest to qualify from the league phase.
However, the Belgians had other ideas and seemed to surprise Brendan Rodgers’ side as the Hoops struggled to impose themselves on the match.
In the end, a 1-1 draw played out after Daizen Maeda levelled after Celtic went behind to a Cameron Carte-Vickers own goal. Speaking after the match, Club Brugge manager, Nicky Hayen shares how what his team thought about Celtic eventually rung true by the time the game ended at Parkhead.
Nicky Hayen rejects suggestion about Club Brugge and Celtic in Champions League
Hayen said via Club Brugge’s official website, “I think 1-1 was definitely a fair result. Based on the first half, I even thought we deserved the 3 points and based on the second half, no more.
“Then a draw is the right representation of the match.”
Asked about being second to Celtic’s quality, Hayen continued, “Absolutely not and I think we proved that in the first half. We played well between the lines and everything we asked for was executed.
You get a deserved lead and you find the right solutions. In the second half, it is just a little bit more difficult and we lose the ball just a little bit easier.
“This while in the first half our first ball after recovery was actually good every time and in the second half, it wasn’t.
“Then you see that the people get behind and they get a little more confidence and we find it harder to get out. Then their first best chance is also immediately a goal and then you know it becomes a kind of survival.”
Nicky Hayen shares what Club Brugge said internally about Celtic
“It’s a double feeling of course,” continued Hayen, “If you look at how we played the first half, it’s a shame.
“However, before the game, we said that Celtic is not just an easy team to put aside either. They proved that in the second half, although we might have been able to put just a little bit higher pressure.
They didn’t really become dangerous, so I didn’t want to take any risks by putting more pressure and giving away spaces that they do dive into. Then you might be left with zero points. So in the end I think that satisfaction should prevail.”
Many Celtic fans will be disappointed at drawing with the Belgians but when they look back at the game, they will realise, like Hayen has admitted, a draw is a fair result.
Brugge had plenty of opportunities to put the game to bed and had it not been for having a goal ruled offside by VAR, Celtic could have left Parkhead empty-handed last night.
With three games left to go, Celtic are still in the driving seat with their Champions League future in their own hands.
If that was offered to the Celtic supporters after having played Atalanta, RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund they would have bitten off the proverbial hand for that.
