Bayern Munich Advances to Champions League Knockouts with Last-Minute Equalizer
The Bayern Munich vs Celtic match had all the makings of an upset, yet in the end, the heroic effort by the Scottish side fell short in the most dramatic of circumstances.
After Bayern Munich's away victory, few expected the Celtic team to bring the match back to life. But as football often shows, there is always room for miracles.
Bayern played a patient game, confident that their chance would come. But it was Celtic who came closest to scoring first. Kuehn struck beautifully, but Guerreiro made a crucial clearance off the line.
Bayern's top scorer, Harry Kane, had two excellent chances in the first half. The first saw Schmeichel save Kane's deflected shot, and just before the break, the crossbar denied the English striker.
At halftime, Kingsley Coman replaced Kane, and just 2 minutes into the second half, Coman had a great chance to open the scoring, but Schmeichel was there to deny him.
Then, on the 63rd minute, the unexpected happened: Celtic took the lead. Maeda stole the ball just outside the penalty area, and Kim couldn't make the tackle in time. Kuehn finished with composure, sending the ball past Noier into the net.
Maeda could have been the hero, but his header in the 70th minute was too weak and went straight into Noier's hands.
From that point on, Bayern Munich dominated the game, pushing hard to avoid extra time or penalties.
On the 74th minute, Kimmich delivered a perfect cross to Goretzka, who headed wide. Two minutes later, Sane fired a powerful shot just inches from the post. Then, in the 77th minute, Bayern earned a free-kick, but Olyse's shot was blocked, and Schmeichel saved a powerful follow-up from Kimmich.
It seemed like Celtic might hold on and force extra time, but in the 4th minute of added time, Bayern Munich finally equalized. After an Olyse cross, Schmeichel saved Goretzka's header, but Davis beat the defender to the ball and leveled the score. 1-1, and Bayern Munich advanced to the next round of the Champions League.
2024-25 UEFA Champions League
Bayern - Celtic 1:1 (0:0)
Goals: Kuehn N-G., 63 (0:1); Davies, 94 (1:1)
Bayern: Neuer; Guerreiro (Davies, 64); Kim Min-jae; Stanisic; Upamecano; Gnabry (Sane L., 64); Goretzka; Kimmich; Olise; Musiala (Muller, 95); Kane (Coman, 46)
Bench: Urbig; Boey; Dier; Ito H.; Laimer; Pavlovic Al.; Palhinha; Vidovic
Celtic: Schmeichel; Johnston A.; Carter-Vickers; Trusty; Hatate; Schlupp; Kuehn N-G. (Hyun-jun Yang, 69); McGregor C.; Engels; Jota (Idah, 59); Maeda
Bench: Bain; Sinisalo; Murray D.; Nawrocki M.; Ralston; Scales; Taylor G.; Bonnar J.; McCowan; Kenny J.
