The Bhoys done us Proud

Celtic were outstanding last night on a freezing cold night in Munich. This team have matured on the big European stage under Brendan Rodgers. He has also matured as a manager and with £38M banked from this Euro campaign he can now build for the next campaign from a position of strength and the team should be able to kick on now with the experience they have gained this season to become a better unit with some more quality added.

The atmosphere was relaxed in the German City before the game as Celtic fans gathered in local bars for pre-match refreshments and to catch up with familiar faces from over the years they have met along the way.

For once tickets were plentiful for an away game. The ticket allocation was healthy and our viewing from the top tier was impressive including the Munich Ultras camped behind the goals in the opposite end.

The Police presence in the city all afternoon was low key but As Celtic fans began to gather to march to the underground the Police presence increased as did the noise of the Ultras drum. The singing became louder and fans marched through the streets to the underground with Police to the front and back stopping traffic for safe passage.

The train was packed for the short journey to the stadium and the banter was good as the songs and chants got louder as the train arrived at the stadium. The walk to the ground was marshalled by Police and safety officers and there were plenty of toilets for light relief.

Once at the turnstiles we were met with some familiar faces from the Celtic Park security team who pointed us in the right direction to enter. A quick search and we were inside in plenty of time to get a beer before entering to upper area to take our place among the faithful.

The atmosphere was building and the Celtic players were finishing their warm up as  the noise levels increased when they came up the tunnel on the big screen and onto the field of play.

The game was tense at times and glances were regular to the big screens to check how many minutes were played. Celtic were not going out gunned on the night and had some good chances before Nicholas Kuhn sent us into wild celebrations and the Munich fans and their players got nervous which only added to the atmosphere in the away end.

In the end a last minute controversial goal was the difference between both teams. Bayern through on a 3-2 aggregate score. There was no holding us in for an hour to let the home fans leave, all 75,000 of us left together and headed for the trains which were lined up waiting to take us back into the city for a night cap.

The home fans were quiet on the train back in the city. Maybe they were in shock that we had them on the ropes or maybe they are so used to winning they forgot what it is like to celebrate a European win. If we had won that game we would still be partying now.

This seasons campaign in the Champions League has been one of the best I have witnessed in many years travelling around Europe with the Bhoys. This trip has been an amazing experience. 3 games in less than a week with many miles travelled, a few beers and plenty of laughs with like minded people. The Bhoys done us proud.

Hibs next on Saturday at Easter Road is a chance to increase our points tally and also a dress rehearsal for the up coming Scottish Cup game at Celtic Park against the Edinburgh side.