Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened. The acclaim given to Celtic’s squad and management as their Champions League campaign ended in the Allianz Arena on Tuesday night had to be about far more than the detail of an agonising exit at the hands of Bayern Munich.
Brendan Rodgers had spoken about a potential tide-shifting moment after Daizen Maeda scored in the first leg, halving Bayern’s lead. It actually came as Nicolas Kühn sent the visiting support into a frenzy in the reverse fixture. The reality is Celtic remain notches below teams of Bayern’s calibre. At least they should be; a fantastically courageous display from Rodgers’s men had Bayern fearing a tournament exit. Celtic deserved so, so much better than a 94th-minute aggregate defeat to an ugly Alphonso Davies goal.
