“That’s my honest answer on it, the positive is we’ve come away from the game defensively strong and didn’t concede”- Brendan Rodgers offers ‘honest answer’ as he reacts to Celtic’s Dinamo Zagreb draw
Brendan Rodgers has acknowledged that Celtic fell short in their pursuit of a statement win against Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League. Despite being unable to produce the necessary performance to secure more than a point, Celtic earned a gritty 0-0 draw in Croatia.
The result leaves Celtic with nine points from 18, with two games remaining. They missed the chance to claim their first away victory at this stage since a 3-0 win over Anderlecht in Brussels in 2017. However, their hopes of progressing to the knockout stages remain alive, with Celtic expected to be favorites when they host Young Boys at Celtic Park in January, followed by an away match against Aston Villa to finish the group stage.
Rodgers spoke to BBC Scotland, saying, “That’s my honest answer—yes, we needed to do more. It was an opportunity for us, but we had to show a little bit more in those moments. The positive is that we came away defensively strong and didn’t concede. I thought we lacked quality in the final third. The pitch was a bit tricky. We showed great energy and commitment. In the Champions League, if you keep a clean sheet and get a point away from home and you’re not entirely happy, it shows how the team has progressed.”
This result followed two consecutive clean sheets on the road, a significant improvement after their heavy 7-1 loss to Borussia Dortmund earlier in the competition and a goalless draw with Atalanta in Italy. Rodgers reflected on the team’s performance, stating, “It’s hard work. My teams are often known for their attacking play, but we’re also solid when we press at the right moments and maintain that mentality to avoid conceding. We had enough possession to create more opportunities, but having that solid foundation is vital. This group is gaining confidence at this level. The players gave everything. We needed to do more, but we know that. That’s fine. We recognize it was an opportunity, but we need to show a bit more.”
Celtic were concerned when Alistair Johnston was substituted at halftime, but Rodgers provided a positive update: “It was his hip flexor, nothing muscular, which is good. There was no need to risk it, and hopefully, that will settle in the coming days.”
Auston Trusty shared his thoughts on Celtic’s draw with mixed emotions. Speaking to TNT Sports, he said, “We’ll take the point, but we came here for three. I think we’ll be pretty upset in the locker room. But getting a point away from home is still good, though we definitely wanted three. We were aiming to win, but it didn’t go our way. We could have done more with set-pieces—we had 10 of them. It was an opportunity to grab three points, but we ended up with one.
“It was a solid performance from the team. We set out to earn points away from home, and we did that. We’re playing our game and showing we’re a good team, worthy of being here and competing in this competition. With two more games to go, we’re confident and just need to keep moving forward.”
