It will be pain of a different kind for Celtic compared to their last visit to Germany.
Brendan Rodgers ‘ side gave Bayern Munich a hell of a fright in their Champions League playoff round second leg clash at the Allianz Arena as the Bundesliga leaders needed a scrambled stoppage-time equaliser on the night to avoid an extra-time tussle for a place in the last 16 after the Hoops had taken the game to them in the Allianz Arena.
It was a far cry from their 7-1 slaughtering by Dortmund back in October. That raised serious questions over whether Celtic belonged at this level of football. They’ve since been answered emphatically, and it looked like Rodgers’ men were going to claim one of their most impressive scalps when Nicolas Kuhn slotted them into a 63rd-minute lead. But it was heartbreak in Bavaria as Alphonso Davies clumsily snatched away their hopes of progression and any sort of reward for what was a performance to be proud of.
Record Sport looks at what the world’s media made of the Scottish champions.
Bild (Germany)
“FC Bayern trembled their way into the Champions League round of 16 in the second leg at the Allianz Arena. After the visitors took the lead in the 63rd minute through Bayern’s former amateur player Kühn (25), it looked like extra time would come for a long time. Left-back Alphonso Davies (24) redeemed the German record champions with his goal to make it 1:1 shortly before the end.
“The dream of the final at home is still alive, but Bayern must improve in the Champions League. With a performance like today, that won’t go well against big opponents.They are already waiting for the Bundesliga leaders, Bayer Leverkusen or Atlético Madrid, in the round of 16. The draw will take place on Friday at 12 noon. Either the Munich team will quickly find their old form or their dream of a Champions League final at home could be shattered sooner than expected.”
Tz (Germany)
“Thanks to a last-minute goal from Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich just made it into the round of 16. Celtic Glasgow started strongly and could have been rewarded much earlier. Even though Bayern hit the post through Kane shortly before half-time, the Munich team were much more harmless than expected.
“Celtic continued bravely after the break and punished a defensive lack of concentration in a cold-blooded manner. Of all people, former FCB talent Nicolas Kühn scored and set the course for extra time. Only Davies was able to prevent this in the fourth minute of stoppage time. After the two-legged match, Bayern beat Celtic 3-2 and are in the round of 16 of the Champions League.”
L’Equipe (France)
“Munich had a complicated start to the match and without the clumsiness of Celtic’s attackers, the evening could have turned into a nightmare. A save from Raphael Guerreiro on his line (16th) after an attempt by Nicolas Kühn sent shivers through the freezing stands (-5°) of the Allianz-Arena before Bayern gradually settled into the opposing camp. But the Bavarian players often came up against a compact and disciplined defence. Only Harry Kane was able to stand out with two attempts, the first pushed back by Kasper Schmeichel (22nd) and the second by… the crossbar (45th).
“In the second half, with Harry Kane forced to leave the pitch at half-time, Kühn, who trained at Bayern, allowed the visitors to open the scoring by taking advantage of a mistake by Min-jae Kim (63rd minute). As the 75,000 spectators saw extra time looming, Alphonso Davies’ equaliser at the end of added time sent Bayern into the round of 16 (90th minute + 4 minutes). Vincent Kompany’s men will face Bayer Leverkusen or Atlético Madrid at this stage of the competition.”
Diario AS (Spain)
“Bayern Munich had to suffer more than expected, but Kompany’s team showed their grit against Celtic and ended up qualifying for the Champions League last 16 in extremis. The Scots struck first through Kühn to equalise the tie, but the Munich side did not give up and managed to get the final 1-1 thanks to a goal from Davies at the last minute that earned them a place in the next round where the draw could bring them a match against Atlético Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen. Whoever they get, this Bayern team will have to step up a gear if they want to fight for that final that will take place in their stadium.
“The Germans had a really tough time in the first half, with the Scots taking control of the ball after fifteen minutes of Munich dominance and intimidating the home side. Both Kühn and Maeda had the chance to equalise but were not very effective in finishing. At the end of the first 45 minutes, Bayern came back to the attack and saw Kane’s shot hit the crossbar.
“It was the last action of the English killer, who felt discomfort and was replaced by Coman at half-time. Gnabry was placed as a false nine, but Bayern continued to fail and, apart from a shot from Goretzka that Schmeichel managed to save, allowed Celtic to continue to look for their problems until a series of errors in the back allowed Kühn to get Rodgers’ men back into the tie. But Bayern got back on their feet, besieged Celtic and ended up finding the equaliser and passage to the last 16 in a carom in stoppage time that Davies took advantage of to blow up the Allianz.”
The Guardian (UK)
“If Bayern Munich are heavily incentivised by the return of the Champions League final to their home stadium, this was a strange way of showing it. To Celtic, all the plaudits following a heroic showing in Bavaria.
“This Celtic performance ranks among the finest by a Scottish team away from home in Europe in living memory. Extra-time felt the least they deserved after taking a second‑half lead. They were denied by a horrible, scrappy goal claimed by Alphonso Davies after a Cameron Carter-Vickers clearance flew back off him from all of two yards. Just 30 seconds of stoppage time remained. Celtic have grown in this Champions League. In Munich, they came of age. This outcome was so cruel on them.”