Brendan Rodgers insists Celtic are still well on course for their minimum target of a Champions League playoff spot despite being held at home by Club Brugge.
Daizen Maeda’s second half stunner cancelled out Cameron Carter-Vickers’ calamitous own goal which stunned Parkhead to give the Belgians the lead. Rodgers admitted his side weren’t at it in the first half with the visitors dominating but saluted their bravery to roar back after the restart.
Celtic sit on eight points with three games left, and are on course for the playoff round with a trip to Croatia to face Dinamo Zagreb next up before a home game against Young Boys followed by an Aston Villa away day. And the Irishman said: “We’re still in a really good place. We knew where we wanted to get to at the end of January which was at least into that play off stage and we’re still well on track for that.
“We have three games left, two away and one at home and we’ll be ready for them when they come. The first half wasn’t so good, the second half was much better. But a point at this level is still very good.
“You obviously want to win the game. I felt first half we were very passive in our pressing and they’re a good side, you can see why they’ve had some good results and have good experience at this level.
“We had no intensity when we didn’t have the ball and with it we didn’t get into position early enough. We had moments when we arrived over the halfway line where we were okay but they were better than us in the first half.
“We adjusted a couple of things at half time and I said to the players to get back to doing what we’re good at second half we were much more aggressive and we were just waiting for that moment which Daizen gave us with a brilliant finish.
“You want to go on and get that winning goal which didn’t quite happen. So first half not so good, second half much better.
“We weren’t aggressive enough in the first half and didn’t make contact in our pressing. You go behind and lose the goal but it’s mentality. We were just too passive.
“We were much more courageous in the second half and working the ball better in gaps. They defended it well so we had to really work and probe but I was so pleased.
“I’ve been in enough of these games where you can get yourself back into the game and lose it but we kept going and showed that determination right to the very end. We take the point against a good side, especially as you don’t play well over the course of 90 minutes.”