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Inside Kasper Schmeichel's inspired Celtic huddle as Alistair Johnston hails key moment

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - NOVEMBER 27: Celtic's Callum McGregor gathers his teammates after going 1-0 behind 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 Rob Casey / SNS Group)
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


Alistair Johnston has praised Kasper Schmeichel for calling an immediate huddle on Wednesday evening - stating that his camaraderie gave them the impetus to blossom and rescue a draw against Club Brugge in the Champions League.

Cameron Carter-Vickers' moment of madness saw his back pass well out of Schmeichel's reach, trickling into the net to give the Belgians the lead - and from there, Parkhead fell into a hush as fans processed what they'd just seen with their own eyes. However, Schmeichel took action by calling a huddle, with every single player involved to remedy their shocking start to the game.

A lacklustre first-half until that point was not good enough, and the Dane held his teammate accountable - which saw them slowly but surely edge into the game. It's a move that paid off - Daizen Maeda's rocket in the second half levelled the tie, and Celtic climbed to 20th in the league phase table, knowing that just one more win is likely to see them through to the next stages.

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And Johnston hailed Schmeichel for his actions, stating that the Hoops were 'all over the place' and the huddle calmed things down for Celts to attack. He said: "That was the right moment for it. We were a little bit all over the place. Brugge were pressing a little higher than we were expecting, and even then I don't think we were making the in-game adjustments we needed.

"It was about calling everyone in, and calming everything down. Again, no one was really shell-shocked or anything. It was just about taking a deep breath and playing through it. If they were going to do that then let's use our front men, use our pace, and put some fear into them. I do think we picked it up, and it was a much better second half to give us the result we really needed.

"We need to get as many points as possible, so I don't think anyone could be too disappointed with a draw. Zagreb is a couple of weeks away, so we are focused on Ross County now.

"We have the confidence in the group, no matter the game or how hostile the environment — we are ready for anything that's thrown at us. I'm guessing it will be pretty crazy in Croatia, but it's an exciting match ahead. If it happens to anyone, big CCV is least likely to be rocked by it. He's pretty strong mentally. It's going to happen every once in a while as a backline.

"When you want to play out from the back and there's high pressure, sometimes things are going to get a little lost in translation. He thought Kasper was in one place, he wasn't. It ended up being a great finish! Cam is one of those guys that you don't really have to worry about that kind of stuff."