Brendan Rodgers so nearly immortal as Celtic's Munich anguish spares Rangers from total eclipse

There was much to lament on Tuesday night as Celtic crashed out of the Champions League in such an exquisitely Scottish manner it was difficult to believe there was just one Scotsman on the pitch at the time.

Now retired from the international frontline, skipper Callum McGregor has seen it all before. But there was something particularly brutal about the chain of events that led to Bayern Munich’s scrappy equaliser in the final minute of time added on.

Celtic were set to take the knockout play-off round tie into extra time. Europe was watching. Europe was admiring. All attention was fixed on the Allianz Arena, where the most riveting climax was playing out. Was this large red orb in Munich's suburbs about to be the scene of something historic?

Celtic players react after the the 1-1 draw in Munich that ended their Champions League adventure. (Photo by TOBIAS SCHWARZ/AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images

Some were even citing Lisbon as a reference point, which is not as ridiculous as it might sound. Celtic played ten games in this current campaign compared to nine when they won the competition in 1967. Beating Bayern in their own lair would have felt like winning the final but they have at least proved they belong on such a stage, which was the target before a ball was kicked.

Celtic looked a long way from achieving even that more modest aim four months ago when being torn apart 7-1 by Borussia Dortmund. Brendan Rodgers will never change, they said afterwards. He'll never learn.

Well, he’s clearly cottoned on now how to play in Europe. A suitably esteemed panel of guests bore witness in Munich. Had Celtic qualified for the last 16, it's easy to imagine Martin O'Neill, present in Bavaria in his role as an analyst, saluting the enormity of the occasion by grabbing Rodgers and whispering in his ear: “Brendan, you’re immortal”.

Instead, what Rodgers got was a hug from Neil Lennon, also present as a pundit. There was also plenty of praise from O'Neill and Clarence Seedorf, the AC Milan legend, while assessing a game – and tie – that was decided in such agonising fashion deep into injury time.

Cameron Carter-Vickers looked to have everything under control. His eyes almost seemed to grow wider when he saw the ball land in the danger area after Kasper Schmeichel’s brilliant save from Leon Goretzka.

If only the rebound had squirted out to either side of the goalmouth. Nevertheless, Carter Vickers seemed to be favourite to get there. Maybe that was the problem. ‘I’ve got this,’ he seemed to be thinking. ‘I’ve got this…Oh.’

Bayern Munich's Alphonso Davies scores in the last minute of injury-time to leave Celtic defender Cameron Carter-Vickers lying dejected on the turf. (Photo by TOBIAS SCHWARZ/AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images

In the blink of an eye, Alphonso Davies arrived on the blindside and bundled the ball into the back of the net. The Bayern substitute had the good grace to admit he had “tackled” the ball in. It was a ‘tackle’ with consequences. It might well have saved manager Vincent Kompany’s skin – leading the Bundesliga is all very well, but could he have survived going out to Celtic, especially with the final due to be staged at Bayern Munich’s own stadium?

It might also have helped save Rangers from complete and utter eclipse by Celtic, if that’s not well underway in any case. Reaching the last 16 would have swollen the Parkhead club’s coffers by at least another £10m while their profile would have been enhanced. The so-called Espanyolification of the Ibrox club might have been accelerated.

Of course, there’s no guarantee Celtic would have gone on to win the tie in extra time. They still needed another goal. Perhaps reaching penalties might have been their best bet. The away side's bench was already looking exposed and not just because of the sub-zero conditions.

Among those sitting shivering were the likes of Johnny Kenny, who's just been recalled from a loan period at Shamrock Rovers, and Dane Murray, who was playing for Queen's Park as recently as December.

Out of twelve substitutes, including two goalkeepers, perhaps Celtic fans would have been comfortable with seeing only three, maybe four of them actually enter the field of play in such high-stakes circumstances.

One of those undoubtedly included in this number did feature, with Adam Idah replacing the exhausted Jota on the hour mark and playing a part in the opener soon afterwards. The only other substitute employed by Rodgers - in contrast to Bayern's four - felt like a considerable downgrade as Yang Hyun-Jun came on for Nicolas Kuhn, scorer of Celtic's goal and arguably their best player.

Celtic head coach Brendan Rodgers was close to masterminding the miracle of Munich. (Photo by TOBIAS SCHWARZ/AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images

The Miracle of Munich had been spoken about before kick off more in hope than expectation. But there was nothing fortunate about the way Celtic jockeyed themselves into a position of dominance inside the Allianz Arena, as the likes of Daizen Maeda, a sensation in the No.9 role, carried out Rodgers’ instructions to a tee.

Yes, Brendan, you were nearly immortal. What he most definitely is now is redeemed. Europe was always viewed as his Achilles heel, although even that’s slightly unfair. At the start of this present campaign, Celtic had just two wins and four draws and a whopping 33 defeats from 39 trips in the ‘Champions League’ era, which includes O’Neill’s time in charge. Rodgers was responsible for one of the wins and two of the draws. While another victory was cruelly snatched from his grasp, he now has three more draws to add to the ledger.

Never mind posing for a selfie, he was happy to grab the phone and take the photo as well following a request from a Bayern fan once media chores had been completed in Munich. Rodgers now seems very comfortable in these surroundings.

More importantly, he’s succeeded in making Celtic seem comfortable on this stage again, despite such challenging circumstances as the sale of a first-choice striker a few short weeks ago. Speaking the day after the transfer window shut, a calm Rodgers helped reduce the heat building around the board for the failure to replace Kyogo Furuhashi.

Armed with the evidence of this campaign, and the need for the Scottish champions-elect to qualify for next season’s Champions League, he is now well within his rights to demand to be backed to the hilt.