Received wisdom before kick-off at Stadion Maksimir was that this was the ideal time to face Dinamo Zagreb. Celtic proceeded to prove this campaign is not the one in which to play them in the Champions League. While there will be a tinge of frustration from Brendan Rodgers that a draw was all that could be collected from a fixture in which they were the superior team, capitulation in Dortmund early in this campaign continues to look irregular.
Celtic are again a serious team at elite level in Europe; while progression to the knockout stage could not be sealed in Zagreb, there should be every confidence of that box being ticked when Young Boys visit Glasgow in the new year. One defeat from six until now is a fine Celtic return. Dinamo never looked particularly capable of altering that record.
The first half was a scrappy, bitty affair. A poor playing surface was responsible in part for that but Celtic would have been disappointed not to make the most of umpteen promising positions. Indeed, the Dinamo goalkeeper Danijel Zagorac was barely worked. He watched a Paulo Bernardo free-kick from 20 yards float over his crossbar and reacted sharply to block a Nicolas Kühn cutback, intended for Kyogo Furuhashi. This was about the sum of Celtic’s menace.
Not that Dinamo carried much of a threat. Their best chance of the opening period arrived in stoppage time, as Sandro Kulenovic flicked wide at the near post. He had been afforded his opportunity by a Cameron Carter-Vickers slip. It was already that kind of disjointed evening.
Rodgers had raised eyebrows by omitting Arne Engels, Celtic’s record signing, from his starting lineup. The midfielder is reckoned to have struggled to a certain degree in recent weeks, having starred initially after his summer move from Augsburg. Bernardo is widely reckoned to be the either/or option when it comes to Engels. What the first 45 minutes suggested is that Reo Hatate may ultimately be the fall guy in Celtic’s midfield as and when Engels renders himself undroppable. Hatate was outstanding when the Scottish champions saw off RB Leipzig so impressively last month but can be wildly erratic in possession. His inconsistency was emphasised in Croatia.
Rodgers was forced into an interval change after Alistair Johnston failed to shake off the effects of a meaty challenge. Celtic will hope their first choice right- back recovers in time to face Rangers in Sunday’s League Cup final. Johnston’s replacement was at least familiar with the surroundings; Tony Ralston played for Scotland against Croatia at the Maksimir in October.
Kühn looked certain to fire Celtic in front within five minutes of the restart. The forward jinked in from the right and switched the ball on to his left foot before firing towards Zagorac’s goal. A crucial deflection from Maxime Bernauer deflected the shot over the bar. The French defender celebrated as if he had scored a goal of his own.
Dinamo were playing like the team which had scored once in their last four outings. The key question surrounded whether or not Celtic could punish the bluntness of their hosts until Auston Trusty blocked a fierce Marko Pjaca attempt. Martin Baturina, expected to be Dinamo’s next big-money export to a major European club, duly failed to capitalise on a Greg Taylor error. Celtic heeded the warning. Furuhashi was close to connecting with a Bernardo cross, with Carter-Vickers lashing the loose ball over. Ralston, already on a booking, defended smartly as Baturina broke from a Celtic corner.
Rodgers understandably turned to Engels with 25 minutes to play. With Bernardo and Hatate withdrawn, Luke McCowan also stepped into the Celtic midfield. This was evidence Celtic wanted to push for three points rather than settle for one. So, too, was the swapping of Furuhashi for the more direct Adam Idah. As the game stretched, Kasper Schmeichel was suddenly called into meaningful action. This time Ralston lost his footing, allowing Pjaca a free header which the Danish goalkeeper acrobatically tipped over the bar.
Idah leapt to meet an Engels cross only to watch Bernauer turn the header wide. A quite incredible Kévin Théophile-Catherine interception meant Idah was unable to tap in from an Engels pass. Celtic looked by far the likelier in the dying minutes, as generally they had all evening. The visitors had to make do with the kudos available from back-to-back clean sheets away from home in the Champions League. Playoff hopes remain firmly alive; there is just a little more work to do yet.
