Faux outrage at Celtic’s valuable 0-0 draw against Dinamo Zagreb is bizarre

The Hoops stalemate in Croatia’s capital took us to an impressive nine points from matchday six of the new revamped 36-team Champions League format. In our last three previous campaigns in Europe’s elite club competition [2023/2024, 2022/2023, 2017/2018] Celtic accumulatively amassed nine points meaning it took seven seasons [18 games] for the club to take as many points as they have already reached in the opening six of this campaign.

Know your history 

Brendan Rodgers’ side’s draw with Dinamo Zagreb takes Celtic’s unbeaten run in the Champions League group phase to four matches. For critics of the result, it is now Celtic’s longest unbeaten run at the top table of European football since Davie Hay’s Celts four games versus Real Sociedad, Shamrock Rovers home and away, and Dynamo Kyiv in the early stages of the 1986 European Cup campaign – 38 years ago.

Should Celtic make it five games undefeated against BSC Young Boys in just over a months’ time, you would have to go back to Jock Stein’s outstanding continental period of 1971-1972, where the Scottish champions went 10 matches unbeaten – Celtic’s own longest unbeaten run in European competition to date.

Celtic’s resolute backline 

Notably, Celtic have been abject defensively in the Champions League for far too long. However, Dortmund being the obvious exception, just like domestically, the Hoops have had a resolute backline in the top tier of European football this campaign.

Another clean sheet in the competition, this time against Dinamo Zagreb means that is back-to-back shutouts away from home. Before this season, Celtic’s last victory on the road in the Champions League courtesy of a 3-0 victory over Anderlecht was the last time the Hoops had kept a clean sheet outside their Celtic Park environs.

UCL cleans sheets at Paradise are rare 

Indeed, Champions League clean sheets in Glasgow’s East End don’t come about too often either. The last time Celtic prevented an opposition team from scoring in the competition at Paradise was Benfica, 12 years and 21 Champions League home matches ago.

Those compilation of stats exemplifies why Celtic’s 0-0 draw in Zagreb should not be sneered at. Similar nights have occurred in the past, and Hoops teams have walked away with nothing to show for it. Albeit creating very little, to bring a point back to Glasgow edges us one step closer to knockout playoff round football. That is progress.

Dinamo Zagreb are a decent outfit 

Also, the notion that Dinamo Zagreb are not a decent outfit is nonsense. Nenad Bjelica’s men have taken eight points from six matches and are only two points away themselves of reaching a knockout playoff round tie. Albeit difficult encounters await against Arsenal and AC Milan, their performances and results in this season’s competition are credible.

Going into the second last group phase match knowing that three points secures double digit matches in the Champions League and an opportunity at Last 16 football should excite our support. Celtic have not been in this position for more than a decade. And to have that chance to qualify against the bottom ranked team in the elongated 36-team format should relax nerves.

Celtic’s point versus Dinamo Zagreb will be a crucial

Ultimately, a point versus Dinamo Zagreb will be a crucial one come full-time on 22 January 2025, of that I am certain. The team are finally making progress on Europe’s biggest stage, and Tuesday night’s result is yet more evidence of that when they were not at their best.

Conor Spence

Celtic in the Thirties 

By popular demand, both volumes of Celtic in the Thirties are now available on Amazon Kindle, with the links to order below.  Signed copies of both volumes are available on hardback from Celtic Star Books and if you would like author to add a special Christmas dedication to your copies please let us know.  Postage deadline for Christmas is next Wednesday. Order hardback copies HERE or for Amazon Kindle click on the links below…