Brendan Rodgers is convinced that Daizen Maeda WAS fouled in the sequence leading up to Bayern Munich’s equalizer, though he suggests the Japanese forward might have lacked the savvy to ensure the decision went his way.
Celtic’s energetic Maeda went down after it seemed he was struck on the head by Dayot Upamecano, yet French referee Benoit Bastien allowed play to continue, even as Upamecano approached the fallen Maeda to check on his condition.
The hosts swiftly moved the ball 80 yards up the pitch, where Michael Olise sent in a dangerous cross that Leon Goretzka met with a well-timed run.
Kasper Schmeichel made a stunning save to deny Goretzka’s header, but Cameron Carter-Vickers couldn’t react swiftly enough, and his attempted clearance was thwarted by the charging Alphonso Davies, who forced the ball into the net.
Rodgers, the Hoops’ manager, believed a free-kick should have been awarded, but he also noted that a more seasoned player than Maeda might have remained on the ground, ensuring the referee took notice and halting play, thereby preventing Bayern’s counterattack.
He remarked: “Yes. I think that’s a little bit of our inexperience at this level. Upamecano was clever, he picked him up. If he stays down, it was a knock on the head.
“I felt the referee should have given the free-kick anyway, it would have certainly stopped the game. But maybe a more experienced player or team might have stayed down and then the referee has to stop the game.
“But they didn’t, they played on and then obviously they get the goal. So yes, we were disappointed that we obviously didn’t get that in the build-up.
“I just think it’s experience at the level. The players have come up against top teams, top players at this level and have shown that we’re more than a match.”
