Celtic earn Champions League wings against Red Bull Leipzig

The Celtic Star

·6 November 2024

Celtic earn Champions League wings against Red Bull Leipzig

After putting Aberdeen to the sword on Saturday most of us were feeling quietly confident heading into last night’s Champions League game against Bundesliga giants RB Leipzig…

Celtic players pose for a team photo on the pitch prior to the UEFA Champions League match between Celtic FC and RB Leipzig at Celtic Park on November 05, 2024. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

However with the memory of our trip to Dortmund still fresh in our minds, many would have been wondering if our confidence was misguided. Well it certainly wasn’t! We went toe to toe with a team sitting second in the German league and we played them off the park. That’s not an exaggeration, we literally dominated them for the vast majority of the game and in the end the winning margin could and should have been even greater.

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Celtic players take part in a minute’s silence for the victims of the Flooding Disaster in Spain prior to the UEFA Champions League match between Celtic FC and RB Leipzig at Celtic Park on November 05, 2024. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

That performance was one of the most enjoyable I have watched from Celtic in Europe in a long, long time. Yes we won our first game of the campaign convincingly against Slovan Bratislava but with no disrespect to them, there is a huge difference between beating the Slovakian champions and beating a RB Leipzig team who are flying high domestically. It wasn’t just taking the three points, it’s the manner in which we did it. That’s what makes this performance one for the ages.

Nicolas Kuhn of Celtic celebrates scoring our first goal during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD4 match between Celtic FC and RB Leipzig at Celtic Park on November 05, 2024. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Our manager constantly talks about mentality. My god did this team tonight prove that their mentality is strong. We outplayed Leipzig during the opening period then went behind to a soft goal from a corner. In past times our heads would have dropped and the opposition would have taken over. Not last night.

We showed incredible maturity to regain our compose and an absolutely incredible strike from Nicolas Kuhn brought us right back into the match. From that moment on we never looked back, with Kuhn grabbing his second goal on the cusp of half time to send the crowd into raptures before the players headed down the tunnel. I hate stating the obvious but that performance from our German winger was world class tonight.

Nicolas Kuhn of Celtic celebrates scoring our second goal during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD4 match between Celtic FC and RB Leipzig at Celtic Park on November 05, 2024. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

We came out in the second half and got right back to it. We never relented. We had broken Leipzig’s spirit by the hour mark, you could see the frustration on the Germans faces as Celtic controlled the game and shut down any attacks coming our way.

A huge part of that was the strength of this squad. When subs come on they don’t miss a beat. Brendan talks about it being a squad effort and he’s right. The starting eleven run themselves in to the ground knowing that fresh legs will come on when they are flagging, ready to maintain that high tempo. It’s fantastic to watch.

Reo Hatate of Celtic scores in a Champions League football match against Leipzig on 5 November, 2024, in Glasgow. Photo IMAGO (The Celtic Star)

I was so glad to see Reo Hatate get the third goal. He’s a player who has perhaps struggled ever so slightly with his form this season and was perhaps starting to become the new whipping boy for some fans but he showed last night that he’s a top quality player.

Some of his turns on the ball and slick passes were a thing of beauty but I was most impressed by his effort. He chased everything all night and worked his socks off for the team. You could see at the end he was absolutely out on his feet. Hopefully last night will have done his confidence the world of good.

As good as we were in an attacking sense, I also thought we were incredible defensively, from front to back. When I saw the team sheet I thought it was incredibly hard on Liam Scales that he had to drop out of the starting eleven as he’s been excellent so far this season, but Auston Trusty showed tonight exactly why Brendan Rodgers put his faith in him. Along with Carter-Vickers he was an absolute rock in defence.

Auston Trusty of Celtic heads the ball away from Benjamin Sesko of RB Leipzig. Celtic v RB Leipzig, UEFA Champions League, Group Stage, Football, Celtic Park, 5 November 2024 Phot Stuart Wallace Shutterstock (Imago – The Celtic Star)

I wonder how all those Sheffield United fans who took to social media in the Americans early days at our club to laugh at us and tell us all how we were absolutely mugged off paying £6m for him feel now? Maybe he just needed to be surrounded by a better standard of player to really show his class? After seeing him against Atalanta and now Leipzig I think we can all agree it was money well spent.

Last night felt like the coming together of everything Brendan Rodgers has wanted out of this team. We have heard our manager consistently state what he wants. He wants the team to show a strong mentality. Coming back from a goal down to completely control the game proved that.

He wanted us to show our physicality. He certainly got that. We chased and harried absolutely everything tonight and were strong in the tackle, but just as importantly we applied that pressure while maintaining our discipline. We didn’t receive one booking which is incredible.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers talks with Callum McGregor of Celtic during the UEFA Champions League match between Celtic FC and RB Leipzig at Celtic Park on November 05, 2024 (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

He wanted us to be brave on the ball. That bravery was clear to see throughout. We remained cool under pressure and never panicked. We worked it out from the back and almost always picked the correct pass. Apart from that slight wobble after their goal we were almost flawless in this regard.

Not to overstate it but last night really did feel like a turning point for this team. The defensive display in Bergamo definitely increased this groups confidence but that all round performance of brilliance in attack and solidness at the back is what we have all been waiting for, our manager included.

We have proved that the result in Dortmund was an anomaly. I don’t think we will see this particular team suffer an embarrassment like that again. After years of repeating the same mistakes it seems like we have finally learnt our lesson. We finally understand what is required to operate effectively at this level. And after three consecutive home wins in the Champions League for the first time in almost twenty years it finally feels like we have Fortress Celtic Park back.

The future is bright. The future is green and white. It’s onwards and upwards for this Celtic team and I for one can’t wait to see what lies ahead.

Conall McGinty

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