Bayern Munich hero Alphonso Davies gave his verdict of Bayern’s 1-1 draw against Celtic at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday evening…
Davies’ stoppage time equaliser broke the hearts of Celtic who merited extra-time after a heroic display in the Bavarian capital.
Brendan Rodgers’ side exited Europe’s elite club competition but can take immense pride in the way they performed at the home of the six-time winners of the competition.
With Celtic’s Champions League journey for another season over, Vincent Kompany’s men will find out their fate for their last 16 encounter tomorrow lunchtime. Bayern will face either Bayer Leverkusen or Atletico Madrid in the next round.
Speaking to the media post-match, tie-winner Davies, who is a teammate of Alistair Johnston at Canada National Team insisted Celtic deserve respect for the way they performed over the two games.
He said: “This is the Champions League. We knew we were playing against a good team. We also knew that Celtic would be playing intensely here and that we would have to counter that intensely. That’s football and we are just happy that we’ve progressed.
“We played well overall and defended everything well apart from the goal we conceded. But it’s not easy with so many games. I knew that I would have to go into the box at the end and I’m happy that I was able to score again in the Champions League.”
Meanwhile, Leon Goretzka outlined Bayern’s gruelling schedule was a factor behind their struggles against the Scottish champions.
The German midfielder outlined: “I don’t think it was a surprise after the first leg went. It could have been a bit easier without the goal conceded. However, the last six days with three games were more about results.
“I think we have played great football for a long time during the season and now it’s just about results. In the end, we will see whether it will be enough for titles. We have to thank Alphonso for the goal because he didn’t switch off and went after it. We should probably be grateful to him.”
“If you watched the first half, I don’t think it’s surprising. Of course, we could have made it easier for ourselves by not conceding a goal. We played 3 games in 6 days and it was about getting results, which we did and we’re happy with that. We still have the highest number of goals scored of any European team, we’ve played so many good games this season, but in this important phase with a busy schedule, the most important thing is to get results. It’s the play-off phase of the Champions League against a good team, we’re happy to win,” Leon Goretzka.
🗣️ – Leon #Goretzka sur la façon dont le Celtic l'a surpris aujourd'hui (Mardi) :
« Si tu as regardé la première période, je ne pense pas que ce soit surprenant. Bien sûr, nous aurions pu nous faciliter la tâche en ne concédant pas de but. Nous avons joué 3 matchs en 6 jours… pic.twitter.com/g0fqf2ShdK
— RORO89 | Bayern Munich (@Roro_Bayern) February 19, 2025
Conor Spence
READ THIS…Sandman’s Definitive Ratings – Celtic v Bastien’s Munchies
