Brendan Rodgers offers 'honest answer' as he reacts to Celtic's Dinamo Zagreb draw

Celtic played out a goalless draw with Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

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Brendan Rodgers gives the fans a thumbs up at Celtic Park

Brendan Rodgers’s side claimed a point in Zagreb (Image: PA Wire/PA Images)

Brendan Rodgers has admitted that Celtic fell short of the mark in their quest for a statement win against Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League. Scottish Premiership leaders Celtic couldn't muster the performance needed to secure more than a point in their gritty 0-0 draw in Croatia.

The result leaves Celtic with nine points from a possible 18 and two games left to play, having missed the chance to clinch their first away victory at this stage since their 3-0 triumph over Anderlecht in Brussels back in 2017.

However, the Hoops' aspirations of advancing to the knockout rounds remain intact, with the team expected to be favourites when they welcome Young Boys to Celtic Park in January, followed by an away fixture against Aston Villa to wrap up the league phase stage.

Speaking to BBC Scotland, Rodgers said: "That’s my honest answer on it, yes, we needed to do more. It was an opportunity for us but you have to show a little bit more in those moments.

"The positive is we’ve come away from the game defensively strong and didn’t concede. I thought we lacked quality in the final third. The pitch was a little bit tricky.

"We had great energy, good commitment. In the Champions League, if you get a clean sheet and take a point away from home and you’re not very happy, that shows how the team has progressed."

This comes after Celtic managed to keep two consecutive clean sheets on the road following a heavy 7-1 defeat to Borussia Dortmund earlier in the competition and a goalless tie with Atalanta in Italy.

Rodgers gave his honest assessment of his team's performance, noting: "It’s hard work. My teams will always be referenced for their attacking play, but we’re good when we press in the right moments and have that mentality to not want to concede.

"We had enough of the ball to create more opportunities, but to have that base collectively is very important. This group and team is gaining confidence at this level. The players gave everything.

"We needed to do more, but we know that. That’s cool. We know it was an opportunity for us, but you have to show that little bit more."

GNK Dinamo v Celtic FC - UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD6

Celtic couldn't break down Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia (Image: Getty)

Celtic were worried as Alistair Johnston came off at half-time, but Rodgers provided a reassuring update: "It was his hip flexor, nothing muscular which is good. There was no need to risk it and all being well that will settle down in the coming days."

Auston Trusty reflected on Celtic's draw with mixed feelings. The American defender shared with TNT Sports: "We’ll take the point, but we came in for three points. I think we’re going to be pretty upset in the locker room.

"But to still get a point away from home, it’s still good, but I think we should have got three. We were aiming to win, of course, and it didn’t end up falling our way.

"And I think we can take advantage of set-pieces a little bit more. I think we had 10 set-pieces. So an opportunity for us to get three points, but we got one point.

"It was a solid performance from the team. We set out for our goals to get points away from home, and we achieved that.

"We’re playing our game and every opportunity we get, we’re showing that we’re a good team and we deserve to be here, and we can play in this competition. And we have got two more games to go, and I think we’re confident. We just have to continue on."

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