The Celtic Park atmosphere on big Champions League nights is renowned the world over.
Some of the best players in the world have come to face Celtic at Parkhead in the Champions League and Europa League and have been bowled over by the intense noise of the crowd.
And as Celtic played out a draw against Club Brugge last night, Belgian fullback, Maxim De Cuyper, admits that the noise from the Celtic Park crowd really affected him last night.
Celtic Park’s ‘impressive’ Champions League atmosphere really affected Maxin De Cuyper
The 23-year-old defender has been capped six times for Belgium and has played against the international giants of France and Italy.
In the Champions League with Brugge, De Cuyper has also been to the San Siro to play AC Milan but it seems that the Celtic supporters left a huge impression on the young fullback.
De Cuyper told Club Brugge’s official website, “I think we were a lot better in the first half, but they can keep more control of the match in the second half.
“We get a creditable result here, but there was more in it.” On the sporting front, De Cuyper was left a little hungry, but playing at Celtic Park was an experience for the Red Devil.
“It does something to you as a human being, to stand here. The shouting at the anthem was also impressive. It did something to me as well.”
Club Brugge’s Simon Mignolet and Ardo Jashari blown away by Celtic’s Champions League fans
And it seems that it’s not only De Cuyper who was impressed with the Celtic Park crowd last night.
Former Liverpool ‘keeper Simon Mignolet who has also played in tough venues like the Bernabeau and Borussia Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park was also blown away by the Celtic fans.
Mignolet told Sporza, “Of course, you come under pressure in the second half, especially with the fans who are here so massively and emphatically.
“But even after their goal, we actually kept playing football and we kept believing in it. In the end, it was a correct result after a balanced game.”
And this was a view shared by Mignolet’s teammate, Ardon Jashari, “We knew it wasn’t easy to play here, but we were well prepared for the circumstances.
“We could have lost when they equalised and the crowd got behind their team en masse. Everyone talked beforehand about the great pressure that this place and game would mean for us, but with our young team we stayed very calm under it.
“This will never be a bad point.”
The point is, when the Celtic fans get going, they are like an extra man to their team and that has been proven time and time again in European competitions over the course of the last couple of decades.
Celtic have one more game at home against Young Boys in December. If the crown can get behind the team and show the same level of noise that had De Cuyper shaking in his boots then that would help Rodgers’ side earn another three vital points and secure their seeded play-off place.
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