Daizen Maeda kept Celtic’s Champions League charge going by getting them a point against Club Brugge.
The Japanese winger’s second-half strike earned the Hoops a draw to take their tally to eight in the group stage. Brugge – who were the better team at Parkhead – had threatened to defuse Brendan Rodgers’ side by taking the lead through a calamitous Cameron Carter-Vickers OG.
But the manager had asked for the ‘power of Celtic Park’ to surge them on – and Maeda provided the vital spark they needed. His goal keeps Rodgers’ men in a good position to qualify for the knock-out phase ahead of their next Champions League test away to Dinamo Zagreb. They may have dropped a few places in the table, but they’ve gained a point and are one closer to reaching the knockout stage with at least one winnable home match left. Here’s five talking points from Parkhead:
Brugge quick on the draw
Celtic have become renowned for their lightning quick starts in games at Parkhead, especially in the Champions League this season. But when it came to flying out the traps Club Brugge were too fast for Brendan Rodgers’ side. Right from the off here, the Belgians were rapid. They got at Celtic from the first whistle and didn’t allow them to settle into a rhythm. They pinned the Hoops into their own half, and were first to every loose ball in the opening period.
Their passing was crisp and decisive – and when they didn’t have the ball, they hounded green and white shirts to get it back. They had clearly watched the RB Leipzig game here a few weeks ago and decided they weren’t going to suffer the same fate.
Brugge’s start took Celtic by surprise and Rodgers’ men looked shell-shocked for most of the first half. It was a lesson for other opposition sides in how to nullify the team early on and defuse their usual electrifying starts.
Huddle to get them out of a muddle
We’re used to seeing the Celtic huddle before every game but it’s rare to see it DURING 90 minutes. But that’s what happened as Callum McGregor and Co tried to work out why they were being completely outplayed by Brugge in the opening 45 minutes of this Champions League clash.
When Cameron Carter-Vickers scored a calamitous own goal midway through the half, keeper Kasper Schmeichel was helpless. But credit to the experienced Danish stopper.
As soon as the ball hit the back of the net, he was out of his box to meet McGregor and summon the rest of his team-mates. That resulted in an impromptu huddle, while the Belgians were celebrating going ahead. Between Schmeichel and the Celtic captain, they were vocal in trying to organise and cajole a group of players who looked lost at that point.
Their message was loud and clear and Rodgers’ squad leaders deserve credit for showing initiative. But it was clear evidence of just how dominant Club Brugge were in that first half.
Mug punters
TV crews were asking Celtic fans outside the ground before kick-off for score predictions, with every man, woman and child confidently predicting a home win. We were all guilty of it, fans, pundits and commentators alike, in terms of writing off Club Brugge before a ball was kicked. After dismantling RB Leipzig here last time out, of course, there was a degree of optimism going into this one.
But we should all have known better as the Belgians proved why the Champions League is the most unforgiving competition on the planet. Nicky Hayen’s team aren’t glamorous with star-studded names in their lineup But they proved in the first half at Parkhead just how good they are. Hayen’s game-plan worked a treat early on, with skipper Hans Vanaken key to it.
He played right on top of Callum McGregor, stopping Celtic’s man man from dictating the game. Instead, Ardon Jashari and Raphael Onyedika orchestrated proceedings from deep in Brugge’s midfield – against a duo of Reo Hatate and Arne Engels, who were ineffective.
The Eng game
It’s still early in Engels’ Celtic career but the £11 million man is going through a rough patch in terms of his form. The Belgian midfielder enjoyed a terrific start at Parkhead when he joined from Bundesliga outfit Augsburg. But at the moment the 21-year-old looks short of confidence and it was evident again here.
Rodgers has real faith in Engels and that’s why he broke Celtic’s club record fee to get him in during the summer. He was bought to add strength, power, physicality and goals to their midfield and when he arrived initially, he seemed to slot in seamlessly.
But in recent weeks, Engels has gone off the boil. He’d have been desperate to impress against his countrymen in the Champions Leagu but he made very little impact – and was hooked after an hour. As Celtic’s midfield trio played second fiddle to Brugge for most of the night, Engels couldn’t influence it. Too often, he took the safe option with his passing and very rarely bombed forward to get into the opposition box.
It’s Rodgers’ job now to reinvigorate him at Parkhead and thankfully for the Celtic support, that’s one of the manager’s main strengths. You might find Paulo Bernardo gets a few more starts in his engine room. But he won’t be happy until he’s got Engels firing again.
Happy Daiz
Before Celtic equalised against Brugge, Rodgers must have been thinking about taking Daizen Maeda off. The Hoops winger had been ineffective for most of the match up against right-back Joaquin Seys. Maeda had used his pace to run him a couple of times early on but the defender did well to match him and nullify his threat.
As the hour mark approached, the Celtic gaffer would have been considering a change with the likes of James Forrest available from the bench. But when this team needs a spark or bolt of energy, it’s usually Maeda who supplies it.
And that was the case against the Belgians here. Their very own Japanese Duracell latched on to an Alex Valle pass, brilliantly turned inside his man and curled a stunning effort beyond keeper Simon Mignolet.
The goal brought the house down at Parkhead and boy did they need a moment of inspiration? On a night where very little went their way, Maeda proved he’s a man for the big occasion with a goal out of nothing.
It was the jolt Celtic needed at a crucial time in the game. And a short while after it, Rodgers eventually did take him off with Forrest replacing him.