UEFA Champions League
League phase, matchday seven
Wednesday, January 22, 2025
Celtic Park, Glasgow

CELTIC… 1
(Benito 85og)

YB BERN… 0

Celtic secured UEFA Champions League knockout football with a 1-0 victory over Swiss side, YB Bern, at Paradise.

It was a game that Brendan Rodgers’ side dominated, and they had three disallowed first-half goals as well as a missed penalty to show for their efforts.

And it took an own goal with just five minutes remaining for Celtic to take all three points, on a night when Kasper Schmeichel also produced some stunning second-half saves to ensure another clean sheet.

It was the visitors who provided the first attacking threat of the game, surging into the Celtic area inside the first couple of minutes.

The danger was quickly cleared, and it would be another half-an-hour before they threatened Kasper Schmeichel’s goal again.

In the intervening period, Celtic dominated the game and had the ball in the net three times courtesy of Kyogo, though two of those goals were ruled out for offside while the other was disallowed following a VAR review which penalised Callum McGregor for a foul in the build-up to the goal.

The first of those disallowed goals came in the sixth minute when Kyogo latched on to a through ball from Arne Engels, but the Japanese striker was just ahead of the last defender when the pass was made and the goal was ruled out.

However, Brendan Rodgers’ side remained on the front foot, with the pace and power of their play proving difficult for the Swiss side to handle.

Reo Hatate had an effort in the 25th minute from the edge of the box saved, while five minutes later Kyogo thought he’d given Celtic the lead.

Callum McGregor won possession about 40 yards from goal and slotted the ball to the Hoops striker, who fired the ball home.

But the Norwegian referee was advised by the VAR officials to review the goal, and he subsequently ruled that McGregor had fouled his opponent in the build-up to the goal.

Just three minutes later Celtic scored again and, once more, it was disallowed, with Kyogo ruled offside as he slotted the ball into the net from a Daizen Maeda cross.

The visitors hit Celtic on the counter-attack in the 36th minute, firing a dangerous ball across goal which was knocked out for a corner by Alistair Johnston.

And just three minutes later, the Hoops spurned a great opportunity to open the scoring.

Greg Taylor was pulled down inside the box, with the referee pointing to the spot, but Arne Engels’ penalty was saved by the YB Bern goalkeeper.

Celtic march on in the Champions League after victory over YB Bern