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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
Sport
Robbie Hanratty

Celtic player ratings vs Bayern Munich as Maeda scores after tactical role switch

Celtic faced the daunting task of taking on Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League knockouts.

This is the first time Celtic has reached this stage of Europe's top competition since the 2012/13 season.

The sold-out stadium witnessed a thrilling match, with Michael Olise and Harry Kane scoring to put the visitors ahead. However, Daizen Maeda's goal narrowed the deficit and gave Celtic hope of reaching the last-16 when they travel to the Bavarian capital next Tuesday.

Here's how the men in Hoops rated at Celtic Park. 

Kasper Schmeichel: He made several important saves, including an incredible stop to deny Kane's header in the 32nd minute. However, he was helpless to prevent Bayern from taking the lead. The experienced Dane wouldn't have been pleased with the marking for Kane's goal, a volley at the back post with nobody around him. 6

Alistair Johnston: Got bullied by Kane from a corner just before half-time and was fortunate the England striker fluffed his lines from close range. Question marks on whether Kane was meant to be his man from the corner that the Bayern forward netted his team’s second. Arguably redeemed himself from then on with a decent effort on goal and some neat link up alongside Yang. Plus, the Canadian defender made the most tackles, three, in the match. 7

Cameron Carter-Vickers: Won his duels and constantly tried to show leadership by marshalling the Celtic defence. He'll have much easier evenings than being tasked with keeping one of the world's best attackers quiet. 6

Auston Trusty: Needed to be alert to ensure every ball into the box was dealt with effectively. Pulled up with a slight injury concern at the beginning of the second half but was able to continue. 6

Greg Taylor: The Hoops' left-back was skinned by Olise for Bayern's opening goal during first-half stoppage time. His body language clearly showed his frustration as the ball deflected off him twice during the build up.  6

Callum McGregor: Was guilty of losing possession too easily during Celtic’s limited spells on the ball in the first half. However, the captain still recorded the highest passing accuracy (98%) among all players who featured for more than 45 minutes. 7

Arne Engels: He timed his pressing well, a strategy led by McGregor, who anchors the Celtic midfield. However, before the hour mark, he was clipped on the ankle by Upamecano with the referee left with a penalty call to make. After a lengthy VAR review and a check at the monitor, it was determined that the incident did not warrant a spot kick. Probably Celtic's most lively player throughout the 90 minutes. 8

Reo Hatate: The Hoops midfielder was sometimes marked out of the game and didn't see much of the ball. However, when he did get involved, he performed as expected, consistently running to chase his opponents and narrowing their angles. 6

Nicolas Kuhn: The German winger sent Celtic Park into a frenzy just 26 seconds into the match with a long-range effort that found the net. However, the goal was disallowed because Adam Idah was deemed to have obstructed Bayern keeper Neuer's view. This incident highlighted the immediate threat posed by Kuhn. It didn't really turn out that way though as he only had three touches in the opposition box during his 77 minutes on the pitch. 7

Daizen Maeda: He's been in the best form of his Celtic career this season, so his availability following Celtic's successful UEFA appeal against a two-match ban will have come as a welcomed bonus. The Japanese winger started in a left-wing position but then looked more effective when shifted into a more central role. He continually made Neuer know of his presence as he tried to force a mistake. Manage to do exact that with 17 minutes remaining but after rounding Neuer, he couldn't find the angle to send the ball goal bound. But shortly after he had the ball in the net to half the deficit. 8

Adam Idah: He had to do a significant share of defensive duties but was also effective in pushing Celtic forward as a lone striker. He worked hard to disrupt Bayern's ability to play out from the back, but he didn't manage to take a shot on goal before being substituted midway through the second half. 7

Substitutes

Jeffrey Schlupp (For Taylor, 66): The recent deadline day recruit's excellent delivery had Bayern on the ropes as Celtic pushed for an equaliser. 6

Jota (For Idah, 66): His presence gave Celtic with a much-needed spark and the tempo lifted when he was involved in any play. 6

Hyun-Jun Yang (For Kuhn, 77): Attempted a shot of his own which was turned in by Maeda to give Celtic hope that they are still very much in this tie. Made an impression the the game aside from that assist, showing that he can be a handy option for the Celtic coaching team. 7

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