A first-half double from Nicolas Kühn helped Celtic record their first back-to-back Champions League home wins since 2007 with a 3-1 victory over RB Leipzig.
After having found the net 11 times in their last four games, the hosts once again came out in force against a packed Celtic Park, and only a series of blocks in the final minutes prevented the Scottish champions from scoring the first goal of the game. .
In the 23rd minute, an inadvertent header by Cameron Carter-Vickers in the six-yard box allowed Leipzig midfielder Christoph Baumgartner to head past Kasper Schmeichel.
Leipzig captain Willi Orbán should have led by example and doubled his team’s lead shortly after, but despite beating Carter-Vickers in the box he could only place his header millimeters from the post.
The chance missed by Orbán fell to Leipzig in the 35th minute. Kühn, a former youth team promise, leveled the contest for Celtic with a sensational shot from outside the area that hit the post.
Wanting to impress, Kühn put it on a plate for Daizen Maeda to turn the game around, but the Japan international inexplicably missed his one-on-one over the crossbar.
However, Brendan Rogers’ men went to the locker room with an advantage on the scoreboard, as Kühn, the man of the match, finished off a Greg Taylor cross from point-blank range on the last play of the first half.
Looking to remain unbeaten at home throughout 2024 in all competitions, Celtic should have made it three shortly after the restart, but on this occasion Kühn wasted his chance to send the ball into the stands.
Leipzig then needed Péter Gulácsi to work hard to deny Reo Hatate’s shot into the top corner and Auston Trusty’s shot from close range.
Despite this, Leipzig’s number one could not cover himself with glory moments later, as his inability to retain Alistair Johnston’s cross left Hatate with the simple task of sneaking the ball over the goal line and, in turn, , secure the three points.
With this victory, Celtic have seven points (out of a possible 12) in the new phase of the UCL 2024/25, and Rogers’ men remain in an advantageous position to access the round of 16.
Meanwhile, another defeat on the continent leaves Leipzig with the unwanted honor of becoming the third German club in history to lose its first four games in Europe’s top club competition.
Flashscore player of the match: Nicolas Kühn (Celtic)
