There was heartbreak for Celtic at the Allianz Arena after Alphonso Davies’ 94th-minute winner saw Bayern Munich knock them out of this season’s UEFA Champions League.
Celtic went into the tie with a 2-1 deficit to overturn and produced a stunning performance, levelling the tie on aggregate through Nicolas Kühn’s second-half strike before Davies’ stoppage time winner.
As it happened
The first chance of the night fell to Bayern as a superb switch of play out to Michael Olise led to a superb curing delivery to the back post, where former Arsenal winger Serge Gnabry headed into Alistair Johnston.
But then came the Celtic response: Callum McGregor pressed Olise high up and won the ball, subsequently driving goalwards with acres to run into but on an angle, he blazed high and wide. However, that was not the closest the visitors would come to getting themselves level on aggregate.
After an excellent team move, the silky Jota managed to jink past Dayot Upamecano before finding former Bayern forward Nicolas Kühn who beat Manuel Neuer, but saw his effort cleared off the line by Raphaël Guerreiro. The danger was not over as Jota fizzed a dangerous delivery across the face of the goal that was just too quick for Daizen Maeda to tap in.
Celtic kept the pressure on and were gifted another opportunity as the high press paid dividends once more, but Maeda attempted to bend one first time from just outside the box which drifted wide of the post. These were golden opportunities for the Hoops to get back into the tie, and not taking advantage of them looked as though it would cost the visitors when Kasper Schmeichel was then forced into his first save of the night as Harry Kane’s effort was deflected from the edge of the area.
A minute before the interval, Bayern came incredibly close to the opener as Kane rattled the woodwork after a pinpoint delivery from Josip Stanišić. It’d be the Englishman’s last involvement in the game, with Kingsley Coman taking his place for the second half.
Celtic had been desperately unlucky to have not scored in a brilliant first-half performance, but would have found themselves further behind on aggregate had it not been for a stunning one-on-one save to deny Leon Goretzka inside the first minute of the second half.
This proved a game-changing moment, and Kühn returned to haunt his former side as Maeda continued the Celtic high press to nip the ball away into a 50/50 battle just outside the Bayern area. The Japanese forward managed to slide the ball through to Kühn who slotted past a stranded Neuer to a chorus of Scottish celebrations high up in the stands of the Allianz Arena.
Embed from Getty ImagesBayern were incredibly close to going back in front on aggregate as Sané played a intricate one-two with Musiala as he darted inside the area and looked to whip an effort into the top-left corner, though it flew just went the wrong side of the post.
A barrage of Bayern pressure came throughout the remainder of the second period but they seemingly could not find the finish and the game looked to be heading to extra time – until Celtic hearts were broken in the 94th minute.
Schmeichel was forced into a stunning point-blank save but the ball landed only a few yards from the gaping goal, and despite Cameron Carter-Vickers’ best efforts to clear, Canadian substitute Alphonso Davies closed down the clearance and the ball ended in the back of the Celtic net.
It was ultimately a night of heartbreak for the Scots, however the Celtic supporters will be proud of their side’s display in Bavaria that will go down as one of the best modern day European performances for the club. Bayern Munich now await the results of Friday’s round-of-16 draw.
The lineups
CEL: Schmeichel; Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Trusty, Schlupp; Engles, McGregor, Hatate; Kühn, Maeda, Jota
BAY: Neuer; Stanišić, Guerreiro, Kim, Upamecano, Guerreiro; Goretzka, Kimmich; Olise, Musiala, Gnabry; Kane