Goalless draw at Dinamo Zagreb takes dominant Celtic closer to playoffs

Before the match at Stadion Maksimir, many believed it was the perfect moment for Celtic to take on Dinamo Zagreb. However, Celtic demonstrated that this is not the season to face them in the Champions League. Brendan Rodgers might feel a bit frustrated that they could only manage a draw in a game where they played better overall. The earlier collapse in Dortmund still feels out of place in their current campaign. Celtic is once again a formidable force in European football; even though they couldn't secure advancement to the knockout stage in Zagreb, there is every reason to feel optimistic about achieving that goal when Young Boys come to Glasgow in the New Year. With only one loss in six matches so far, Celtic's performance has been strong, and Dinamo never seemed likely to change that.

The opening half of the match was messy and disjointed. The bad condition of the pitch contributed to this, but Celtic also had to be frustrated with their inability to capitalize on several good opportunities. In fact, Dinamo's goalkeeper, Danijel Zagorac, had very little to do. He saw a free-kick from Paulo Bernardo from 20 yards sail over the goal and quickly intervened to stop a cut-back from Nicolas Kühn that was aimed at Kyogo Furuhashi. Overall, this was the extent of Celtic’s threat.

Dinamo didn’t pose much of a danger. Their biggest opportunity in the first half came during stoppage time when Sandro Kulenovic headed the ball wide at the near post. He got the chance thanks to a mistake by Cameron Carter-Vickers. It was just that kind of uneven night.

Rodgers stirred some surprise by leaving out Arne Engels, Celtic's record signing, from the starting team. The midfielder has been thought to be struggling a bit in recent weeks, despite having made a strong impression after his summer transfer from Augsburg. Bernardo is often seen as the alternative to Engels in the lineup. The first half of the match indicated that Reo Hatate might be the one to lose out in Celtic's midfield once Engels becomes a guaranteed starter. Hatate had an exceptional performance when the Scottish champions convincingly defeated RB Leipzig last month, but he can also be quite unpredictable with the ball. His inconsistency was highlighted during the match in Croatia.

Rodgers had to make a substitution at halftime after Alistair Johnston couldn't fully recover from a tough tackle. Celtic is hoping their starting right-back will be fit enough to play against Rangers in the League Cup final on Sunday. Luckily, Johnston's substitute is no stranger to the venue; Tony Ralston previously played for Scotland at the Maksimir stadium back in October during a match against Croatia.

Kühn seemed poised to put Celtic ahead just five minutes into the second half. The forward darted in from the right side, shifted the ball to his left foot, and aimed for Zagorac’s goal. However, a vital deflection from Maxime Bernauer sent the shot soaring over the crossbar. The French defender reacted as though he had netted a goal himself, celebrating enthusiastically.

Dinamo was playing like a team that had only managed to score once in their last four matches. The main concern was whether Celtic could take advantage of their hosts' ineffectiveness, until Auston Trusty stepped in to block a powerful shot from Marko Pjaca. Martin Baturina, who many believe could be Dinamo’s next high-profile transfer to a top European team, missed an opportunity to capitalize on a mistake by Greg Taylor. Celtic took notice of the threat. Furuhashi nearly connected with a cross from Bernardo, and Carter-Vickers sent the loose ball over the bar. Ralston, who was already on a yellow card, made a smart defensive play as Baturina launched a counterattack right after a Celtic corner.

With 25 minutes remaining, Rodgers made the sensible decision to bring on Engels. Alongside Bernardo and Hatate, Luke McCowan also joined the Celtic midfield, showing that the team was determined to seek all three points instead of settling for a draw. Additionally, Furuhashi was replaced by the more straightforward Adam Idah, further indicating their attacking intentions. As the match progressed, Kasper Schmeichel found himself tested as Ralston slipped, giving Pjaca an open chance for a header, which Schmeichel spectacularly deflected over the bar.

Idah jumped to connect with an Engels cross but saw Bernauer miss the header. An amazing interception by Kévin Théophile-Catherine prevented Idah from scoring from an Engels pass. In the final minutes, it seemed like Celtic were much more likely to score, as they had been for most of the evening. The away team could take pride in achieving consecutive clean sheets in the Champions League. Their hopes for the playoffs are still very much alive, though there’s a bit more effort needed to secure their place.