Celtic secured their maiden point of the current Champions League campaign against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday evening. Kyogo Furuhashi and Luis Palma bagged for the Bhoys who finally got up and running in Europe’s premier club competition.

In the first half, the Celts were scintillating, playing some enthralling football. They went in at the break 2-1 up but in the second 45, they naturally tired.

Atleti equalised through Alvaro Morata in the 53rd minute and around ten later, Brendan Rodgers made a notable change. Indeed centre-back Nat Phillips came on to replace goalscorer Palma in a tactical tweak.

Said alteration saw the hosts switch to a back five with three midfielders and two sole attackers. This change saw Celtic become a more defensively solidified unit, which in the end, aided them in picking up a point.

Had the bhoys continued the way they were going, their tiredness wouldn’t have allowed them to make up for the gaps at the back. They would have eventually been sucker-punched, something that has happened countless times in Europe previously.

If Rodgers had made this switch against a lesser opponent, it wouldn’t have been received as well, although if his team left themselves exposed against players the quality of Alvaro Morata, Antoine Griezmann, and Marcos Llorente, it is certain they would have conceded and undone their prior work.

They didn’t, though, and the champions gained a fully deserved point. Perhaps they could have taken all three when Atleti went down to ten men, although the quality of players coming off the bench was not sufficient to make a notable difference.

Few can complain about the point, however. Rodgers is an elite-level coach, and here, his nous came to the fore and went a long way in helping his team take something from the game. It will be hoped the Irishman can utilise this knowledge once more when he takes his team to Madrid next month.