Daizen Maeda struck late for Celtic to give them a lifeline in their Champions League play-off tie against Bayern Munich as they lost 2-1 in the first leg at Parkhead.
Michael Olise and Harry Kane put Bayern in full control of the tie with goals either side of half-time until the Scottish champions clawed their way back with a scrappy goal from Maeda 11 minutes from time at a corner.
Celtic pushed for an equaliser as Bayern threatened to crumble but could not find a way through Manuel Neuer in the closing stages as they lost their first home game since December 2023, ending a run of 32 matches unbeaten.
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Olise, the former Crystal Palace winger, had broken Celtic’s stubborn resistance mere seconds before half-time with an unstoppable near-post strike and England captain Kane then volleyed in unmarked at the back post four minutes after the restart.
Celtic were disciplined for most of the first half, but their concentration slipped after Olise’s moment of brilliance with an inexplicable error leaving Kane completely free to score his 29th goal of the season for club and country.
Referee Jesus Gil Manzano was sent to his monitor for a potential penalty check against Bayern when Celtic trailed by two goals, however replays showed Dayot Upamecano got the ball before stepping on Nicolas Kuhn.
Celtic never gave up though and found a breakthrough at a corner as Maeda headed in from close-range, scoring his fourth Champions League goal of the season to keep his team’s hopes alive ahead of next Tuesday’s second leg in Munich.
‘We’re still right in the tie’
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Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers to TNT Sports:
“The last 25 minutes, we started to press the game, we were more active at the top end of the pitch and you see what it brought – aggression. Our football starts to come alive and then we get the goal.
“At 2-1, Bayern Munich are hanging on. That’s what we can take from it. We’ve got one more shot.
“It’s a new level for a lot of the players, they’ve done absolutely great. Let’s go and have no regrets and see where it takes us.
“We’ve shown we can play football and be a threat. We’re still right in the tie. With their quality and the number of goals they can score, sometimes these can be out of sight but that wasn’t the case at all.”
Kane: We had to stay strong
Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane speaking to TNT Sports:
“Whenever you win a game like this, you’re always pleased because it’s not an easy place to come.
“There were definitely areas in the game in which we could have done better and we’ll need to improve for next week, but overall we scored at the right times.
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“They put us under pressure at the end and we had to stay strong, which we did.
“We knew the atmosphere would help them at the start of the game and they nearly scored after a minute. We had to be patient, we knew we’d have more of the ball. Sometimes you need a bit of special quality to open a game like this up.”
Wilson: Celtic have a slim chance!
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Former Celtic defender Mark Wilson on Soccer Special:
“Celtic have a very slim chance of getting through!
“They need to do what they don’t do very often and win away from home in Europe, especially at the Allianz Arena – it’s going to be incredibly difficult.
“Maeda’s goal gives them a slim bit of hope going into the game and it’s obviously better than the way it was going on the hour mark, because Bayern were just a quality above Celtic for that full period.”
Can Celtic go again in Munich?
For the final 10 minutes at Celtic Park after Maeda’s goal, anything felt possible with the home crowd right behind their team. Bayern Munich were on the ropes and there for the taking, but Celtic failed to land another blow before the full-time whistle.
This performance was just the latest in a run of impressive displays in Europe, with Celtic coming a long way since their 7-1 thrashing at Borussia Dortmund. Rodgers was ridiculed for his approach in that game. He got it just about right against Bayern.
A moment of magic from Olise and a lapse in concentration for Kane’s goal were the difference. Aside from that, Celtic defended with discipline and pushed Bayern when the chances presented themselves.
Rodgers can take a lot from this performance ahead of the second leg but the impact of the home crowd should not be underestimated. Without them, Celtic are yet to win in this season’s Champions League.
In four away games in Europe this season, Celtic have suffered a heavy defeat at Dortmund, lost at Aston Villa and drawn with Dinamo Zagreb and Atalanta.
If the Scottish champions are to cause an upset and knock Bayern out of the Champions League, they will need to find a way to win on the road.
