It was a bombardment at times.
Auston Trusty won so many headers in the first half in Bergamo you half expected him to come back out in the second period wearing a crash helmet. The American centre-half was immense at keeping one of Europe’s hottest strike forces at bay for 90 plus minutes in Italy. It was frantic at times and the pressure was relentless at others but Trusty admitted it wasn’t stress he was feeling.
It was fun. The more the Serie A side came at him, the more he lapped it up and while fans in the ground and watching back home were being put through the ringer, Trusty was feeling nothing but enjoyment. He said: “Not everyone chooses to be a centre-back. You have to be a little bit crazy to choose a centre-back. You’re put in these situations where you have to win the ball with your head and make last-minute tackles and sometimes dangerous tackles.
“I’d be lying if I said I don’t love it! That’s a strong point in my game. If they want to cross it, then so be it. If that’s what they want to do, then more the merrier. That’s what they decided to do in the game.
“They had multiple options to try to break us down, but I think overall as a team, we did our jobs. I think that’s why we joined this club. It’s how to sink or swim. You want to be able to swim in this situation and make the most of it. These are big moments.
“It’s what I dreamed about when I was a little kid in my bedroom. Dreaming of Champions League nights with thousands of fans screaming and the crowd roaring. It’s only a blessing.”
Trusty ensured Celtic secured only their second even clean sheet away from home in the Champions League group stages, and the first since Anderlecht in 2017. And he also helped Celtic restore some pride after the pasting they got in Germany against Borussia Dortmund a few weeks go.
Trusty admitted that night was on their minds in Italy – but so was the draw with Aberdeen at the weekend where Celts blew a two goal lead. And he reckons that Dons display might have played a part in their Italian job.
Trusty said: “I think everyone reacted from the last Champions League game. Also, this past weekend, we should have won that game very easily, but we took the foot off the gas. It was an easy game in the first half, up 2-0, and then they ended up coming back. It’s almost kind of a blessing that that game happened because they woke us up.
“We need to go, every single moment, no matter what game it is, we’re playing these games at that certain level to prepare for these Champions League games. That’s just the mindset. It was kind of a wake-up call for us this weekend.
“We can’t take it easy because our mindset is for the Champions League games and we need to perform at this level. Obviously, the Dortmund game, I don’t think anybody in football, or any team, wants that result.
“Sometimes football is like that and you have to move on. The beauty of football is that there’s another game, either midweek or the end of the week. We just needed to bounce back and we knew we needed to bounce back.
“Coming to this game, showing the world that we’re here and we’re a good team. We’re here to be a good team. We deserve to be here and we can come to any team and get a point.
“I think you have to come into this game with a lot of respect. You have to respect the team, but also you have to come in with a lot of pride. Your mindset speaks that you can beat anybody and go after anybody. “That’s why I joined this club. That mindset speaks for itself.”
It’s not been easy for Trusty. The big defender was thrust into that Dortmund arena and he’s been playing outside his usual comfort zone on the right side of the defence rather than his usual berth. But Bergamo was the making of him – as he refused to go under.
He said: “I think you have to go in and you have to own it. I think you find ways to take advantage.
“I can cut in my left, find passes to my left back or in the middle. I’ve been used to playing on the left, but also last year with Sheffield, in the Premier League, I played seven different positions throughout the entire year. I crossed out different formations in the back line. I got used to it last year and being able to adjust in different positions and show myself.”
Trusty got a huge pat on the back from his gaffer and Brendan Rodgers admitted he was thrilled with his backline’s heroics.
He said: “I felt in the first half they got through a few more times than maybe they did in the second half. I felt as the game wore on that we were able to break through.
“We defended well and then broke through it, and came out of the press with just a wee bit more cleanliness in our pass and tidy up on our touch. We could have sustained it a little bit more. But you’re never comfortable until the final whistle goes. Especially against a top team.
“Sometimes the luck that goes against a Scottish team, they get the corner every 20 seconds to go. Will they score? But we stood up and were counted. We defended manfully.”
None more so than Trusty.