It’s been an enjoyable morning and afternoon reflecting on Celtic’s performance in the UEFA Champions League against Atletico Madrid.
While the Scottish champions couldn’t quite manage to pick up a much-needed victory, we’ve thankfully avoided the post-mortem of another European defeat.
Many fans are rightly looking back on the 90-minute display and 2-2 result with pride and positivity for the future.
But what kind of impact did it make on the other side of last night’s divide? Often you can glean the truth of performances in these matches from what the foreign press concludes.
Thankfully, many Spanish observers were similarly impressed with what Brendan Rodgers’ side had to offer.
Celtic earn praise from Spanish media for Champions League show
Describing Matt O’Riley as “great”, Sport took the view that Atletico have a fight on their hands to reach the next stages of the Champions League after suffering what “couldn’t have been a worse start” in the game against the Bhoys.
They reckon Kyogo Furuhashi managed to “unleash the madness of a deafening Celtic Park” by netting the first goal of the game. It’s noted that if not for Antoine Griezmann, the Spaniards would have been a bit lost in the encounter.
There was also praise for Luis Palma’s “sensational” shot that made it 2-1, before concluding that while Atletico enjoyed the best of the second half, they couldn’t make Celtic “tremble” or be fearful of defeat.
El Mundo noted Celtic found joy in the wide areas, stating: “With quick transitions, the Scots did a lot of damage on the wings. Galán and Molina suffered torment with little help from the midfield.”
They lamented the first-half display from Atletico, referencing the infamous 1974 tie between the two clubs, continuing: “Atletico arrived, but did not bite. Some of the spirit of ’74 wouldn’t have gone amiss for the first half. Glasgow was a party and the red and whites put up the streamers.”
Matt O’Riley lauded as big talent with big potential
O’Riley was a standout on the night and that didn’t go unnoticed by ABC who described his pass to Kyogo for the opening goal as “impossible” before going on to state “the young O’Riley’s fine left foot will soon be at the service of a great”, believing that he could be destined play for an even bigger club in the future.
Celtic’s incredible start was described in glowing terms too, with the outlet stating: “Celtic bites like a hungry animal. He presses high, steals high, and combines with a certain class in the opposition half.”
It’s said Atletico had been “stunned by the local gale”, with Palma’s goal again drawing praise.
Overall, it seems many are disappointed not to see Atletico win while understanding that Celtic made it exceptionally difficult for them on the night – a verdict shared by Diego Simeone.
In other news, Quicker than Alphonso Davies and Kylian Mbappe: UEFA rank Celtic star top 5 in Europe for pace.
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