Celtic have been the laughing stock of Champions League football for all too long now. Remember that 1-0 defeat to Lincoln Red Imps in the qualification stages? Remember the Hoops not even qualifying for the group stages between 2017 and 2022?
It’s been a sorry state of affairs for the Bhoys and one the great Ange Postecoglou struggled to even juggle.
However, for all of those disappointing nights on Europe’s biggest stage, there have been some memorable ones too. Step forward, Tony Watt. That night against Barcelona was oh so special but yesterday evening’s festivities against RB Leipzig perhaps even trumped that glorious occasion.
When the German side took the lead after just 23 minutes supporters would have been fearing the worst. Here we go again, another nightmare display in the Champions League. Think again.
This time Brendan Rodgers’ Bhoys rallied in spectacular fashion, notably through man of the moment Nicolas Kuhn who scored twice on the night. Reo Hatate also found the net to cap a mesmeric 3-1 win. What a game, what a night.
Nicolas Kuhn's amazing performance against Leipzig
On that remarkable night back in 2012, a 2-1 win over Barca, Watt’s scintillating winner was a moment that has lived long in the memory. Rightfully so, too.
Well, Kuhn’s magic display on Tuesday night trumped that, quite considerably too.
There have been claims that the summer signing is already a potential £40m player in the making and after this display, teams on the continent will likely take notice. You don’t perform like this on the biggest European stage without attracting some degree of attention.
Kuhn deserved the plaudits too for this was one of the best individual performances we have seen by a Celtic player in Europe.
His first goal, in particular, was incredible. Drifting inside from the left-hand side like a prime Arjen Robben, the German – once of Leipzig’s parish – unleashed a devasting effort that found the top corner. Oh how good it was, it really really was a fabulous piece of play.
But the 24-year-old’s outing wasn’t just about his brace. Throughout his Man of the Match performance, he supplied two key passes to demonstrate his creative side, performed four crosses and completed three of his five dribble attempts. Not bad at all.
Chris Sutton summed things up aptly, describing the winger’s performance as “outstanding”. The former Celtic forward also thought defender Auston Trusty was pretty “phenomenal” too.
Auston Trusty's performance in numbers
Signed from Premier League relegated Sheffield United over the summer, Trusty initially didn’t set the world alight during his time in Glasgow but his recent form has been excellent. His crowning moment – certainly so far anyway – came against Leipzig this week.
Prior to Tuesday evening’s win, the American was part of a backline that kept four consecutive clean sheets and despite conceding this time out, he was still fantastic at the back.
Handed an 8/10 rating by the Scotman’s Graham Falk, the journalist outlined how it was ‘another top performance’ having ‘handled a really tricky customer in Benjamin Sesko with little fuss.’
Minutes played
90
Touches
109
Accurate passes
95/97 (98%)
Ground duels won
5/5
Aerial duels won
1/3
Clearances
3
Tackles
3
Interceptions
0
Dribbled past
0
Possession lost
2x
During his time on the field, Trusty was..well..pretty trusty really. It was a near-flawless performance from the centre-back who had a staggering 109 touches, completed 98% of his passes and won an impressive six duels.
For context, only Alistair Johnston had more touches of the ball and won more ground duels. No player at Parkhead had a better pass success rate either.
So, Kuhn may well steal the back pages in Scotland this morning but his fellow summer arrival in Trusy deserves equal praise for a night where he stood up and was very much counted. Sesko, who? The USA star dealt with him with ease.
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