Goalless draw at Dinamo Zagreb pushes dominant Celtic closer to playoffs | Champions League

Before kick-off at the Maksimir Stadium, the consensus was that this was the ideal time to face Dinamo Zagreb. Celtic proved that this season is not the right one to compete against them in the Champions League. While Brendan Rodgers will be a little frustrated that they could only manage a draw in a game in which they were the superior side, Dortmund’s capitulation at the start of this season continues to look uneven.

Celtic are once again a serious team at an elite level in Europe; Even though they couldn’t seal their place in the knockout rounds in Zagreb, there should be every confidence that this box will be ticked when Young Boys visit Glasgow in the new year. One defeat from six so far is a nice return from Celtic. Dinamo never seemed particularly capable of changing that record.

The first half was a tricky, itty-bitty affair. A poor playing surface was partly responsible for this, but Celtic would have been disappointed if they had not made the most of the numerous promising positions. In fact, Dinamo goalkeeper Danijel Zagorac was hardly busy. He watched Paulo Bernardo’s free kick fly over the crossbar from 20 meters and reacted sharply to block a Nicolas Kühn kick-back intended for Kyogo Furuhashi. That was about the sum total of Celtic’s threat.

Not that Dinamo posed much of a threat. Their best chance of the first half came in injury time when Sandro Kulenovic shot past the near post. He got his chance thanks to a slip by Cameron Carter-Vickers. It was already such a disjointed evening.

Rodgers caused a stir when he left Arne Engels, Celtic’s record signing, out of his starting line-up. The midfielder is believed to have had some issues in recent weeks after initially appearing following his move from Augsburg in the summer. Bernardo is widely considered the either/or option when it comes to Engels. The first 45 minutes suggested that Reo Hatate could ultimately be the raiding guy in Celtic’s midfield if Engels proves himself unbeatable. Hatate was outstanding when the Scottish champions so impressively defeated RB Leipzig last month but can be extremely unpredictable in possession. His inconsistency was highlighted in Croatia.

Rodgers was forced into a half-time substitution after Alistair Johnston failed to shake off the effects of a heavy challenge. Celtic will be hoping their chosen right-back recovers in time to face Rangers in the League Cup final on Sunday. Johnston’s successor was at least familiar with the area; Tony Ralston played for Scotland against Croatia at Maksimir in October.

Kühn looked certain to give Celtic the lead within five minutes of the restart. The striker moved in from the right, played the ball onto his left foot and then shot at Zagorac’s goal. A crucial deflection from Maxime Bernauer sent the shot over the crossbar. The French defender celebrated as if he had scored a goal himself.

Dinamo played like the team that had scored once in the last four games. The crucial question was whether or not Celtic could punish their hosts’ dullness until Auston Trusty blocked a fierce effort from Marko Pjaca. Martin Baturina, expected to become Dinamo’s next big export to a major European club, failed to capitalize on a mistake by Greg Taylor. Celtic heeded the warning. Furuhashi was close to hitting the ball with a cross from Bernardo, but Carter-Vickers hit the loose ball over the goal. Ralston, who had already received a yellow card, defended cleverly when Baturina parried the ball from a Celtic corner.

Rodgers, understandably, turned to Engels 25 minutes before the end of the game. With Bernardo and Hatate withdrawn, Luke McCowan also moved into Celtic’s midfield. This was evidence that Celtic wanted to push for three points rather than settle for one. Likewise the exchange of Furuhashi for the more direct Adam Idah. As the game dragged on, Kasper Schmeichel was suddenly asked to take a meaningful action. This time Ralston lost his footing and allowed Pjaca a free header, which the Danish goalkeeper acrobatically tipped over the crossbar.

Idah jumped at a cross from Engels, but had to watch as Bernauer turned the header wide of the goal. An incredible interception from Kévin Théophile-Catherine resulted in Idah failing to intercept a pass from Engels. Celtic looked far more likely in the final minutes as they usually had all evening. The visitors had to be content with the praise they received from consecutive away games in the Champions League without conceding a goal. Playoff hopes remain; there’s just a little bit of work left to do.