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Celtic rescue Club Brugge point as Cameron Carter-Vickers breathes sigh of relief after comical own goal

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - NOVEMBER 27: Celtic's Daizen Maeda celebrates after scoring to make it 1-1 during a UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD5 match between Celtic and Club Brugge at Celtic Park, on November 27, 2024, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


Daizen Maeda spared Cameron Carter-Vickers' own goal blushes on a tough night for Celtic in the UEFA Champions League, as they drew 1-1 with Club Brugge at Parkhead on Wednesday - though it remains a precious point for Brendan Rodgers in the race for the knockout rounds.

The game started frantically with both sides going hammer and tongue at each other, though the Hoops just couldn't keep the ball with Brugge boasting 60% possession in the opening 10 minutes of the game - including a shot by Ferran Jutgla which had Kasper Schmeichel scrambling.

Arne Engels had Celtic's first chance, though he could only fire over from around 12 yards after a cutback from Maeda - though chances kept coming Brugge's way when Andreas Skov Olsen curled wide, which was met with disdain by the home support.

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However, if that was met negatively by the Parkhead faithful, they were left shellshocked just minutes later when Carter-Vickers turned into his own net. The Hoops aimed to play out from the back, and with Nicolas Kuhn giving the USA international the ball on the edge of his own box, the centre-back played the ball back to Schmeichel - or so he thought.

Schmeichel had made himself available for a wide pass from Kuhn, meaning he was in no man's land and the look on Carter-Vickers' face said it all as he watched in anguish as the ball trickled into the net to mark a shocking opening first half from the home outfit.

The second half started in the same way, with Schmeichel producing a fine save from Maxim de Cuyper just a minute into the restart - but Celtic did trouble on a rare venture forward when Hatate blasted wide from the edge of the area and that cranked the decibels up in Celtic Park.

Hope turned into bedlam on the hour mark when Maeda chopped his man coming into the area, before the Japan star bent a superb strike into the far corner via the post - and from there, Parkhead was alive.

Brugge looked as though they had taken the lead just 10 minutes later when Jutgla turned home, though he had received a pass in an offside position - and Parkhead was alive again after a brief scare. Paulo Bernardo went close with an effort from the edge of the area though it didn't trouble Mignolet, and from there the game petered out.

Celtic could see it as two points missed, but it is another point on the board and now the Hoops have eight to their name - with just one more win likely to be enough to qualify for the next round.