Bayern Munich clinched their place in the Champions League last 16 in dramatic fashion on Tuesday, with Alphonso Davies scoring a stoppage-time equaliser to secure a 1-1 draw on the night and a 3-2 aggregate victory over Celtic.
The German giants will now face either Bayer Leverkusen or Atletico Madrid in the next round.
Celtic had been on course for a famous victory after leading since the 63rd minute and looked poised to take the tie into extra time. However, Davies stepped up in the 94th minute, reacting quickest to a rebound after Kasper Schmeichel had parried a header from Leon Goretzka.
Davies’ goal was a relief for Bayern coach Vincent Kompany, who praised the full-back’s resilience after his recent struggles with injury.
“He worked hard with the rehab team and medical team,” said Kompany. “We’ve immediately seen what he offers for the team.”
Bayern had entered the second leg with a 2-1 advantage from their victory at Celtic Park but found themselves frustrated for much of the night.
Despite Bayern’s dominance in possession, Celtic created the better chances in the first half. Nicolas Kühn came closest when he beat Manuel Neuer, only for Raphael Guerreiro to clear off the line. Moments later, Alistair Johnston delivered a dangerous cross that narrowly missed Daizen Maeda at the back post.
Maeda then squandered a golden opportunity after a misplaced pass from Dayot Upamecano allowed Kühn to play him through, but he fired over with teammates waiting in support.
Bayern, struggling for attacking fluency, saw Harry Kane hit the crossbar with a snapshot before being withdrawn at half-time due to an injury. The England captain later confirmed he would likely miss Sunday’s Bundesliga clash against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Celtic took a shock lead in the 63rd minute when Maeda pounced on a loose pass and set up Kühn. The forward capitalised on Min-jae Kim’s failed clearance to slot past Neuer, silencing the Allianz Arena and putting Bayern’s 20-game unbeaten home record in European competition at risk.
Desperate for an equaliser, Bayern resorted to long-range efforts, with Schmeichel making crucial saves from Joshua Kimmich, Michael Olise, and Leroy Sané.
As Celtic edged closer to a historic victory, Bayern finally found a way through. Deep into stoppage time, Olise whipped in a pinpoint cross for Goretzka, whose header was saved by Schmeichel. However, Davies reacted quickest, bundling the ball in off his shin to break Celtic hearts and send Bayern through.
For Celtic, the result was a bitter disappointment after coming within seconds of their first-ever win in Germany. For Bayern, it was a dramatic escape, but Kompany will know his team must improve if they are to challenge for European glory.
