Callum McGregor proved his Celtic captain credentials again during the Champions League match against Bayern Munich.
The midfielder, 31, put in a tireless display as Celtic so nearly forced extra time at the Allianz Arena.
Alphonso Davies' forced the ball home in stoppage time to cruelly send Celtic out after Nico Kuhn had fired Brendan Rodgers' side into a lead in the second half.
Last night was sickening. The Bhoys gave all. I had visions of Maeda dancing through a gassed Bayern defense to win it in the 120th. It was not to be. Enjoy this moment. It was brilliant by Maeda and Kuhn. pic.twitter.com/39p2v6ECl9
— GrandOLTeam (@JBLuvsCeltic) February 19, 2025
While McGregor was influential in his work on and off-the-ball, footage from Celtic celebrations of Kuhn's opener have revealed the captain's important role in managing his team-mates.
Similar to a moment in the Scottish Cup triumph last season, McGregor could be seen telling his team-mates to stay calm as they celebrated taking the lead in Munich.
Nico Kuhn and Daizen Maeda raced over to celebrate in front of the Celtic supporters before Alistair Johnston, Jeffrey Schlupp and Jota joined in.
However, as McGregor appeared in frame of coverage of the match he could clearly be seen trying to contain the emotions and keep focus on the rest of the match as he demanded his team-mates not get carried away.
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Celtic were undone in the final minute by a sickening goal as Davies netted by bl;locking Cameron Carter-Vickers clearance after a stunning Kasper Schmeichel stop from Thomas Muller.
"Probably one of the cruellest to be honest," said McGregor when asked how he reflected on the result.
"The performance of the players gave, they gave absolutely everything and pushed a really good Bayern side all the way right to the end, the death, the last kick of the ball.
"Sometimes football is cruel, you don't always get what you deserve but I'm so proud of the players, the way that they played, the way that they handled themselves.
"We came off the pitch with no regrets.
"The template of the game was perfect for us, they were getting frustrated and set up to try and nick the next one and even if wqe had to go to extra time we still fancied ourselves."
