Celtic kept their first Champions League clean sheet for seven years as they held Europa League champions Atalanta to a goalless draw in Bergamo.
Brendan Rodgers set his team up to defend deep, keen to avoid a repeat of the 7-1 thrashing at Borussia Dortmund in their last European outing, but this game could have ended in similar fashion had Atalanta’s Mario Pasalic been more clinical.
Pasalic missed five big chances, a feat only four other players had managed in the Champions League since the 2010/11 season, four of those coming in the first half. The midfielder hit the target just once from his six efforts on goal.
Celtic were more comfortable in the second half, despite ceding even more possession to their hosts, in large part because they stopped the flow of crosses from former Chelsea wing-back Davide Zappacosta, who created all his four chances in the first half.
Rodgers’ side are now on four points after three games in the Champions League, which pushes them further away from the elimination places, while Atalanta have five points at the end of gameweek three, sitting just shy of automatic qualification.
Rodgers answers critics with big defensive display
Celtic had not kept a clean sheet in the Champions League since beating Anderlecht 3-0 in the group stages in 2017. It took a humbling at the hands of Dortmund to get them there.
Rodgers, who also oversaw that victory seven years ago, insisted before the game that Celtic’s devastating defeat was the result of a few early goals “spooking” his players. There was a sense that the criticism, and suggestions of naivety, had angered him.
Celtic learned their lessons and took a more practical approach in Italy, reducing their risk-taking in the build-up by starting Adam Idah up front, and playing a more direct brand of football.
Kasper Schmeichel played his part, becoming the first Celtic goalkeeper to make six saves and keep a clean sheet in the competition since 2003/04, while Auston Trusty was resolute at the back, making 10 headed clearances to keep Atalanta out.
The response from Celtic has more than answered their critics and earned them a massive point in the context of keeping their hopes of Champions League progression alive. Back-to-back home games against RB Leipzig and Club Bruges await.
Atalanta’s profligacy was, of course, partly behind Celtic keeping a clean sheet, but the Hoops worked for their luck in Italy.
Rodgers: Dortmund hurt pushed us on
Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers speaking to TNT Sport:
“We knew the level of team we were playing against. They are the top scorers in Italian football.
“To come here and keep a clean sheet, it was a brilliant defensive performance. To have that concentration and play with that commitment, it was very pleasing.
“Each day of my life I’m learning. Until my very last breath, that’s the type of person I am. But that’s what allows you to springboard even further than where you were.
“So you think of the Borussia Dortmund feeling. After that, we didn’t want that again. That has allowed us that sort of trampoline effect to really push on and learn from it.
“It’s a great feeling that you’ve come to a top opponent at this level and been able to keep a clean sheet and defend well. And then it’s just a case of building on that step by step.
Match stats: A big night for Celtic
- Atalanta tonight became just the second team on record in the UEFA Champions League (2008-09 onwards) to have 20+ shots and 50+ touches in the opposition box and not score a goal, along with Paris Saint-Germain against Borussia Dortmund in last season’s semi-final second leg.
- Tonight’s goalless draw has ended a run of 85 consecutive games in major European matches without a 0-0 for Celtic, with their last 0-0 draw coming against Benfica back in September 2012 in a UEFA Champions League match.
- Celtic have kept a UEFA Champions League clean sheet for the first time since September 2017 in a 3-0 win over Anderlecht, ending a run of 18 games without one in which they shipped 51 goals.
- Mario Pasalic had six shots without scoring for Atalanta tonight, the joint most by an Atalanta player in a UEFA Champions League match without finding the net, along with Duván Zapata against FC Midtjylland in December 2020.