Toni Kroos has hailed the mentality of Celtic fans after they produced a “spectacular” atmosphere against Real Madrid.
The European champions had to weather a first half storm as Ange Postecgolou’s team threatened to spring a shock. Liel Abada missed two big chances either side of A Callum McGregor effort that agonisingly came back off the post as Real were left in no doubt that they were in a game. They managed to quiet the crowd after the break thanks to Vinicius Junior’s opener before Luka Modric and Eden Hazard added two more goals as Carlo Ancelotti’s side showed their class.
But the first 45 minutes will offer Celtic plenty of hope that second place in this group could be theirs. Shakhtar Donetsk's convincing win away to RB Leipzig opens Group F right up and the knock-out stage will very much be on the agenda for Postecoglou and his players. If they can reproduce their first half display then their opponents will struggle to live with them, especially in Glasgow.
Kroos has lifted the Champions League trophy five times and has sampled some of the best atmospheres on the planet. And the Germany international was struck by the noise generated by 60,000 inside Celtic Park before the hosts eventually succumbed to the Spanish title holders.
"That's what we were expecting, that they would come out with this amazing atmosphere, even for us!" He told Bein Sports.
"They are not negative to their rivals, they are just supporting their team. The atmosphere was crazy.
"We knew we had to calm the crowd down a bit. We knew the team were going to attack from the first minute and they did. You have to survive the first 20/25 minutes, knowing that the game will calm down a bit. That's how we won it.
"The mentality of these people who accept their rivals, it's a spectacular atmosphere.
"We didn't expect an easy game, it's a good team here at home. They've beaten the Europa League finalist 4-0.
"They can play football well, but you had to be calm and in control. It's a deserved win.
"We're a team that can sometimes not have the ball and attack. The result is the result of the game we play."
Luka Modric was the star of the show and not for the first time in Glasgow. The Croatian veteran ended Scotland’s hopes of Euro 2020 progression a year ago with a virtuoso performance at Hampden.
He was at it again, netting Real’s second and generally making Carlo Ancelotti’s side tick. And the former Tottenham star took to Twitter in order to thank the home fans for the experience after the game.
He tweeted: “Special atmosphere. Thank you Celtic Park.”
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