There were spells in this game when Club Brugge resembled a reincarnation of 1970 Brazil. As Cameron Carter-Vickers bundled home an embarrassing own goal to send the Belgians in front, it looked a matter of how many they would choose to score. The stars were in stripes.
Celtic do not often suffer in this manner on their own turf. Celtic have no cause to care that they rather snatched a point. Indeed, Brugge’s profligacy should be of no concern whatsoever to Brendan Rodgers.
This draw, earned courtesy of a glorious Daizen Maeda strike, leaves Celtic perfectly on course to reach the playoff round of the Champions League . This was an outcome which rather proved the beauty of football; Brugge’s style and swagger was ultimately matched by Celtic’s desire not to lose. Celtic continue to show they can compete when stakes are raised beyond their domestic domination.
As the minutes ticked down, it was Celtic who looked the more likely team. Given what had come before, that was a wild scenario. Three games had seemingly extinguished years of frustration.
Celtic’s thrashing of Slovan Bratislava , draw against Atalanta and excellent win over RB Leipzig triggered a sense of Champions League belonging. Seasons where the Scottish champions floundered at this level had suddenly been forgotten; expectations were high for Brugge’s visit. Even Celtic’s 7-1 reverse in Dortmund felt an afterthought before kick-off.
Through the new Champions League format – and some fine performance.