Father of Kasper, Peter Schmeichel, has criticised Celtic’s first-half display in their 1-1 Champions League draw with Club Brugge, calling it a “missed opportunity” and “so bad.”
Speaking on CBS, Schmeichel expressed frustration at the Hoops’ lacklustre start, which saw them concede an own goal through Cameron Carter-Vickers and struggle to impose themselves early on.
Watching his son return to the Champions League, the Dane said it was “two points dropped” for Celtic rather than a good point earned.
“Celtic started so bad and they made so many mistakes,” Schmeichel told CBS. “Cameron Carter-Vickers here, he is a fantastic player and he is instrumental to how well they are doing. He is very unlucky in this situation. But they gave too many chances away and Brugge looked like a fantastic team. There was no need for that.
“I see that as two points dropped. Brugge was a team when we saw the draw, it was one of the teams they were going to get three points out of If Celtic wants to go further in this tournament, then they need all their players to play well and they didn’t (against Brugge).”
While Daizen Maeda’s stunning equaliser in the second half gave Celtic hope, Schmeichel pointed to the first-half errors and sloppy passing as significant issues. These mistakes allowed Brugge to dictate the tempo and limited Celtic’s attacking fluency.
Brendan Rodgers’ side did improve after the interval, but their inability to take control early in the game left them chasing a victory that eluded them.
The draw leaves Celtic on eight points after five games, still in a strong position in the league but with work to do to secure progression. A win against Brugge would have provided a significant boost ahead of their next fixture against Dinamo Zagreb, but hopes remain high.
Celtic will dust themselves down and look to move on from the performance as they return to league action before their trip to Zagreb.
