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Bayern Munich 3 Celtic 0: Brendan Rodgers' team given brutal reality check in Germany

Bayern were far too good for Celtic on Wednesday night - Bongarts
Bayern were far too good for Celtic on Wednesday night - Bongarts

The presumption that, buoyed by an ultimately comfortable success away to Anderlecht, Celtic could mix it with the likes of Bayern Munich on their own turf was shredded by a defeat in the Allianz Arena that could have been significantly more emphatic.

Bayern exploited Celtic’s manifest aerial weakness at the back for Thomas Muller, Joshua Kimmich and Mats Hummel to score in a fashion which will give Brendan Rodgers much to contemplate before the pair meet again in two weeks at Parkhead.

As predicted by Telegraph Sport, Brendan Rodgers dealt with the loss of Jozo Simunovic by switching Mikael Lustig inside to partner Dedryck Boyata in central defence and filling the gap at right-back with Cristian Gamboa, who made his first club appearance against Dundee on Saturday.

Ahead of the makeshift arrangement at the heart of the back line, there was more positive news in the shape of Scott Brown and Stuart Armstrong, both of whom were back after injury layoffs.

Brown took up his customary station in the holding role alongside Olivier Ntcham, while Armstrong was at the centre of the advanced midfield three, flanked by Patrick Roberts and Scott Sinclair, in support of Leigh Griffiths.

Thomas Muller is mobbed by team-mates after putting Bayern ahead - Credit: Getty images
Thomas Muller is mobbed by team-mates after putting Bayern ahead Credit: Getty images

Bayern’s indifferent start to the season had precipitated the sacking of Carlo Ancelotti and ensured the return of Jupp Heynckes, whose third spell in charge was inaugurated with a 5-0 home win over Freiburg on Saturday.

This was his first European tie in charge of Bayern since he steered them to the Champions League trophy against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley in 2013.

Heynckes had fearsome armament at his disposal in Arjen Robben on his 100th tournament appearance, not to mention 96 for the Netherlands, alongside Muller, with 89 caps for Germany and Robert Lewandowski, with 91 for Poland.

Adding to Bayern’s destructive potential was Kingsley Coman who, in a previous incarnation at Paris Saint-Germain, was the youngest player ever to appear for the French side.

Rodgers chose to array Celtic in a 4-2-3-1 match-up with Bayern, a strategy that was weakened promptly by failure to win most of the individual contests. Bayern matched superior share of possession with manifest aggression and were unlucky to be deprived of a goal after six minutes when Thiago Alcantara shot home from a Lewandowski cutback which the assistant referee judged, questionably, to have gone out of play.

Brendan Rodgers and Arjen Robben  - Credit: Getty images
Brendan Rodgers and Arjen Robben worked together at Chelsea Credit: Getty images

The same official missed Lustig’s tug on Lewandowski’s jersey inside the box, which was a penalty kick offence, but just after the quarter hour Bayern got their due when Lewandowski lost Lustig at a cross from Kimmich and rose ahead of Gamboa for a powerful downward header which Gordon blocked, only for the rebound to fall to Muller, who beat the goalkeeper on the angle.

Now chasing the game, Celtic looked even more vulnerable to Bayern’s purposeful pace but the second goal, like the opener, was the product of freedom of their penalty area, this time granted to Kimmich to meet a Coman delivery with a long, looping header which fell into the far corner of the net with Gordon stranded.

The interval did not bring the changes sought by a noisy travelling support and, bar a brief flurry of Celtic activity around the Bayern box, the pattern of the first half was resumed before long and, five minutes after the break, Bayern went further ahead. It was, almost needless to say, another header that did the damage, this time when Hummels got his skull to a corner from Robben to plant his delivery behind Gordon.

Mats Hummels rises highest to head home Bayern's third - Credit: Getty images
Mats Hummels rises highest to head home Bayern's third Credit: Getty images

The goalkeeper shared culpability for the goal, because the corner kick was the consequence of a miskick by Gordon. As Celtic slumped on the ropes, Robben saw a header booted off the line and Lewandowski had a goal ruled out because he was fractionally offside when he sidefooted home.

Rodgers finally switched personnel midway through the second half, as Moussa Dembele replaced Leigh Griffiths and Armstrong made way for Tom Rogic.

James Forrest’s subsequent appearance in place of Patrick Roberts sparked a spurt of Celtic activity, but yet another header from Muller, which struck Gordon’s shoulder in injury time, was a reminder that the Hoops face another scary evening when Bayern come to the east end of Glasgow for Halloween.