Brendan Rodgers himself admitted his side lacked any cutting edge and observers from across the globe agree.
Resurgent Celtic are finding out ruthlessness extends beyond the action in the Champions League.
The Premiership champions have only once in their history managed two positive away results in the same season – back when Brendan Rodgers himself helped mastermind draws against Monchengladbach and Manchester City. Away points in the world’s richest tournament used to be reasons to cheer, however, that isn’t the mood music in the wake of Tuesday’s bore draw in Zagreb.
Is it really that bad? Rodgers himself admitted his side lacked any cutting edge and observers from across the globe reckon Celtic missed a chance to punch their ticket to the Champions League playoff round with two games to spare – something they can manage with either a win against Young Boys, or even a draw against the Swiss and a point to be safe against Aston Villa on matchday eight. Record Sport takes a note of what was said.
Sportske novosti (Croatia)
Celtic did not look like a team that could score a goal. Bjelica set up a tactical variant that did not allow Rodgers’ army anything but possession. Dinamo had a chance after 25 minutes of play, but Sandro Kulenović did not properly catch a ball that fell to his right foot. After that incident, Celtic also had their chance. Kuhn broke through on the flank, but when he wanted to throw into the heart of the penalty area, Danijel Zagorac blocked it.
The first half offered really modest football, without any real chance for either team. Celtic tried harder, but it was all in vain, the Blues saved themselves from major embarrassment without any major problems. Although they had a chance at the end of the first quarter after a cross by Špikić, Kulenović did not score from about ten meters.
Novi List (Croatia)
The game, which was full of caution on both sides, did not offer much excitement in the first half. The most dangerous situation occurred in the 16th minute, when Lukas Kačavenda played with his hand twenty meters from Dinamo’s goal. The free kick was taken by Paulo Bernardo, sending the ball just over the bar. The rest of the game offered the same picture, with the expectation that at some point at least an attempt at blue pressure and a three-point assault was expected. Simply, due to the aforementioned expert predictions, victory was an imperative for the Croatian champion. Signs of something like that arrived after about ten minutes of the second half. Admittedly, Dinamo was not overly specific, but that was a welcome refreshment compared to the opening part of the game.
A Spor (Turkey)
The match, in which both teams had difficulty creating chances, was kept quiet and the match ended in a 0-0 draw. With this result, Dinamo Zagreb increased its points to 8, while Celtic increased its points to nine. Celtic will be happier after taking a big step to the knockout phase.
HLN (Belgium)
The highlights were few. Paulo Bernardo could not frame a free kick, Kulenovic shot just wide. Before half-time, not a single shot was taken between the posts. After the break, the spaces became a bit bigger. But even then, the chances played out could be counted on one hand. Baturina found ex-Anderlecht goalkeeper Schmeichel, McCowan kicked too centrally and weakly at Zagorac. In the meantime, Arne Engels had come on: our compatriot had to stoke the fire. But it was the home team that had the best chance. Pjaca, another player with a past at RSCA, forced Schmeichel into an excellent save. The 0-0 final score was logical after all.
Vecernji (Croatia)
The match between Dinamo and Celtic ended goalless. This significantly reduced the Croatian team’s chances of qualifying for the next round of the Champions League, while the Scots took another important step towards fulfilling their European dreams. Dinamo entered the match with a five-match winless streak in all competitions and the club appearing to be a hospital on the edge of town. Neither team offered much. Both teams played very cautiously, the game resembled a game of chess, with both teams carefully choosing their next move.
