Celtic’s emphatic 3-1 victory over RB Leipzig on Tuesday night has drawn widespread praise, not just from Scottish fans but from media outlets across Europe.
The result at Parkhead marked a significant step forward in Brendan Rodgers’ Champions League campaign and has put the Scottish champions in a strong position to progress to the knockout stages.
In Germany, the reaction was swift and critical—of Leipzig. Many outlets lambasted the Bundesliga side for slumping to their fourth consecutive Champions League defeat.
However, while some German publications aimed barbs at Celtic’s standout performer Nicolas Kühn, the overall tone has been one of respect for Rodgers’ side, whose performance on the night was undeniably impressive.
McCoist Reacts to Celtic’s Dominance
Former Rangers striker and TNT Sports pundit Ally McCoist, a familiar voice on talkSPORT, weighed in on Celtic’s latest European success during a conversation with Alan Brazil. As ever, McCoist’s praise for Celtic was tempered with a dose of rivalry-fuelled reluctance.
“What can I say, I mean it didn’t break my heart, but I don’t particularly enjoy saying it, what about your mob on Tuesday night? Dearie me,” McCoist said.
“See the tempo that Celtic are playing at right now, they’ve got pace, they’ve got power, particularly after the doing in Dortmund, and it was a doing in Dortmund.
“To bounce back with a couple of great results and I thought the point initially was a great result. I watched the highlights of the game on Tuesday night. Great result.
“But I mean, credit to you boys. You’ve given yourself a real good opportunity of qualification.”
Celtic’s Resurgence Stings for McCoist
McCoist’s admiration for Celtic’s recent form is begrudging but sincere. Over the past two decades, he has had to watch as Celtic consistently outperform Rangers domestically.
This season has been no different, with Celtic dominating the Scottish Premiership and now making waves in Europe.
In the spirit of rivalry, McCoist has frequently offered his less-than-enthusiastic takes on Celtic’s success. Here’s a selection of his more reluctant admissions about the Parkhead side this season:
On referees in Old Firm clashes:
“If we don’t think for a minute that some of the officials that officiate in Rangers and Celtic games maybe as a kid or a family member who has an allegiance to Celtic or Rangers, we’re kidding ourselves on. But we can’t afford to challenge their integrity.”
On supporting Celtic for Rangers’ benefit:
“Did you ask me if I would cheer them on? Yeah. No, I don’t think I would cheer them on. I would grudgingly accept a victory but I don’t know if I would secretly cheer them on. That’s, perhaps, taking it to the extreme.”
On Celtic and Rangers’ current form:
“I think both sides of the Old F*rm are not great this year. I really don’t, I genuinely don’t. I think Celtic are better but I don’t think they’re anything like where they’ve been in recent years. But I don’t care what anybody says, it’s not sour grapes, because I genuinely, and I’ve said for weeks, I think both sides are average.”
On Rangers falling behind Celtic:
“I am genuinely devastated at what’s going on at my club. I’m looking at it, the recruitment in recent years has been unbelievably poor. They’ve given money to people who, quite frankly, haven’t spent it very wisely at all.
“At the top level, we’re playing home games at Hampden. On the pitch, we’re miles off it at this moment in time, miles. And it breaks my heart to say it but we’re miles off it, and off the pitch as well we have got an unbelievable amount of work to do.”
Reluctant Praise, But Praise Nonetheless:
McCoist, despite his allegiances, has consistently proven himself a fair pundit when discussing Celtic. Yet, it’s clear that acknowledging their dominance—particularly when it comes at the expense of his beloved Rangers—doesn’t come easily.
Nevertheless, after Tuesday’s resounding win, even McCoist had little choice but to tip his hat to Celtic’s pace, power, and determination.
With Celtic now firmly in contention for Champions League knockout qualification, Rodgers’ side continues to turn heads across Europe, leaving critics, including reluctant ones like McCoist, with little to do but acknowledge their strength.