Celtic winger Jota reflected on Tuesday’s 1-1 draw against Bayern Munich at the Allianz, with Celtic shocking all of Europe with their sensational performance.
Jota, who started the game and was substituted for Adam Idah after 60 minutes, impressed during his time on the pitch, causing Bayern all sorts of problems whenever he got the ball.
Celtic’s superstar from Portugal has hardly put a foot wrong since re-signing in January, earning a start against Bayern at the Allianz. This shows that despite an interrupted 18 months away from the club and a lack of consistent game time during that period, even an unfit Jota is still good enough to start.
With Jota looking to praise his teammates for their performance, that has helped Celtic leave the whole of Europe talking.
He said: (TNT Sports Brasil), “We knew that Bayern would have much more possession, but on the counter-attack we always managed to create opportunities and that was the case.
“But then with the last play, they managed to win the game and we couldn’t take it to extra time. That regret remains, but it must be highlighted that the group played well and I’m very proud of what we did.
“This Celtic team is going forward with everything and we have a very well-defined philosophy. We came here to fight for the result.
“We played in an aggressive and good way so that all the fans feel attracted to our football. The result went to Bayern, but we got here thanks to our quality and effort.”
Jota has slotted in seamlessly back into the Celtic team. With Hibernian on Saturday at Easter Road, it will be a huge test for the Hoops, and Jota will hope to play his part in a win at a ground that has proved tough for Celtic over the years.
It’s good to hear the philosophy that Jota talks about. Having only re-joined last month, he understands what is needed from him on and off the ball, and this is a credit to Brendan Rodgers and the Celtic coaching staff for the work they do in training, which has clearly made it easy for Jota to understand his role in the current Celtic team.
“It will be a lesson learned from Tuesday’s game, the manner in which Celtic conceded in the last minute. However, the Hoops are undoubtedly a better team coming out of this season’s Champions League campaign, and with Champions League qualifiers in the summer, Jota and Celtic will be desperate to get back into the competition next season and go even further than this season, which has been a huge success in Europe.
