Rodgers praises Celtic’s mentality after Maeda wonder strike rescues valuable Champions League point

Brendan Rodgers hailed Daizen Maeda’s wonder strike and the resilience of his Celtic players after they dug themselves out of a Champions League hole.

A calamitous first-half own goal from Cameron Carter-Vickers saw the Parkhead side fall behind to Belgian champions Club Brugge.

But Maeda’s superb equaliser on the hour mark dragged the home side back into a game where they were second best for long spells.

Eight points from five games preserves hopes of securing a place in the last-16 play-off round. Yet the performance was in sharp contrast to the last home game, an exhilarating 3-1 win over RB Leipzig, and Rodgers saw a different side to his team.

‘This is what building confidence at this level is about,’ he said. ‘You won’t always be able to play a perfect game where you’re so good with the ball, you’re so good in your pressing. 

‘At moments, other things will  happen in the game and you have to be able to adapt.

Daizen Maeda earned Celtic a point with his superb strike into the far corner of the net

Defender Cameron Carter-Vickers had to pick himself up after scoring a calamitous own goal

‘When it’s not quite right, can you dig yourself out? I think we can say that with this team. It’s what, 20 games now and we’ve won 16 and drawn three and lost one. So, it shows the mentality is there.

‘We’re very proud of them for that second-half mentality. It would have been very easy to not play with the courage, continue with that pressing mentality.

‘The first half, we were too passive in our pressing and we were never in contention with them. They’re a good side. You can see that.

‘But the players absolutely drew a line under the first half and it was a much, much better second half.

‘Fantastic goal by Daizen. And, from then, it felt like we could go on and win the game.

‘A point at this level, like we’ve seen in Atalanta, it’s so important. I’ve been in enough of these games and sat here enough times to be in a game like that and you end up losing it.

‘It’s a great credit to the players and how they fought right to the end.’

Now unbeaten in three Champions League games, the Parkhead side have still to face Dinamo Zagreb away, Young Boys of Switzerland in Glasgow and Aston Villa in Birmingham. Two points from their last nine should be enough to claim a place in the play-offs at least.

Rodgers was proud of the way Carter-Vickers bounced back from an excruciating error when he failed to see where Kasper Schmeichel was positioned and passed the ball into his own net.

‘Mistakes happen and it was just unfortunate,’ he said. ‘He’s played that pass a million times and it’s gone back and then we’ve been able to play forward. It’s just one of those unfortunate moments in the game that happen for you.

‘But he’s a really, really tough character. He’s a great guy. He picked himself up.’