Alphonso Davies strike sees Bayern Munich edge past Celtic to reach UEFA Champions League round of 16
Bayern Munich made hard work of their play-off against Celtic to reach the UEFA Champions League last 16 but the Bundesliga side will nonetheless be delighted to be in the hat for Friday's draw after Alphonso Davies's injury-time strike cancelled out Nicolas Kühn's earlier opener for the heartbroken visitors.
Goals from Harry Kane and Michael Olise had given the Bundesliga leaders a healthy 2-1 lead going into their second-leg against the Scottish champions. Both players were soon involved in the return as Vincent Kompany’s side looked to quickly kill off the tie on front of a packed Allianz Arena. Serge Gnabry was denied on the line with a header at the back post from Olise's centre while Kasper Schmeichel was alert to keep Kane at bay soon afterwards. Visiting coach Brendan Rodgers said that anything was possible for his team in Munich in the build-up to this game, and the Bhoys soon responded by creating several decent chances in quick succession. Callum McGregor started the sequence when blasting off target after racing through while Josip Stanišić was alert to clear ex-Bayern second-team player Nicolas Kühn’s effort off the line. Daizen Maeda then twice looked to trouble the hosts before Kane sought to lift the pressure at the other end. Schmeichel was equal to the striker’s power-drive, but there was nothing the Celtic custodian could do when Kane’s next effort crashed against the crossbar.
To the away side’s relief, England’s record goalscorer and the Bundesliga’s leading marksman failed to appear for the second half. Yet, Bayern’s attacking ambitions remained intact and they should have hit the front on the night when Leon Goretzka burst through two minutes after the restart, only to be denied at the last by the busy Schmeichel. The miss would prove costly. Having never before beaten Bayern in the teams’ previous five meetings, Celtic stunned the hosts by hitting the front. A collection of errors in the Bayern defence culminated in Kim Min-jae helping Kühn on his way through and the forward swept past Manuel Neuer with glee to level the tie on aggregate. The six-time European champions responded, with Goretzka heading inches wide before substitute Leroy Sané drove narrowly off target. In inspired form, Schmeichel then kept out Kimmich’s deflected drive as extra-time loomed. In one last throw of the dice, Olise lifted a cross into the area and when Schmeichel could only push Goretzka’s header forward, Davies was there to bundle the ball home to the delight of the home fans.
Match stats
Bayern haven't lost at home in the Champions League since going out as holders to Paris Saint-Germain in the 2020/21 quarter-finals (W16, D5).
Kane has six goals in eight Champions League appearances so far this term. He scored eight in 12 during Bayern's run to last season's semi-finals.
Bayern have scored 23 goals across nine games in this season's competition.
The six-time European champions have only failed to reach the knockout rounds once since being eliminated in the old first round on their debut in 1969/70. That was in 2002/03 under Ottmar Hitzfeld.
Bayern are now unbeaten in six Champions League meetings with Celtic (four wins).
Champions League Knockout play-off, second leg Knockout play-off, second leg Allianz Arena
Full-time: Bayern 1-1 Celtic
What a game here at the Allianz Arena! Celtic put in a really impressive performance, taking a deserved lead midway through the second half thanks to Kühn. But Bayern were relentless in their pursuit of an equaliser, pegging the Scottish visitors back for the last 20. Finally, having put in cross after cross, a Schmeichel save from a Goretzka header on the end of an Olise cross fell to Alphonso Davies, who forced the ball over the line with sheer willpower alone to win the tie for Bayern. Just as it looked as if it would be going to extra time too...
What drama here in Munich! A last ditch cross from Olise from the right finds Goretzka at the penalty area. He flicks a header goalwards and for not the first time this evening, Schmeichel pulls off a miraculous reflex save. But he can only palm it into the path of Alphonso Davies, who bundles the ball over the line to level the scores and win the tie!
Kimmich takes again, and Celtic head behind for yet another corner. As ever, Kimmich takes the follow-up, finding the head of Stanišić, but it's over the bar
84'
Corner to Bayern
Carter-Vickers clears a Stanišić cross behind for a corner from the left. Kimmich swings it in but Celtic clear again.
Kühn's goal
The Celtic man's finish remains the only goal of the game so far.
Engels fouls Olise on the edge of the Celtic box. The Frenchman takes the subsequent set-piece, firing it into the wall. It falls to Kimmich, who lashes a goal-bound effort that takes a deflection on it's way through, but Schmeichel pulls off yet another fantastic save.
76'
Another chance goes begging
Sané wriggles free on the edge of the Celtic box, managing to maneuver the ball onto his left foot before getting a shot off. It's just wide of the post.
74'
A whisker wide!
Kimmich plays a cross from deep into the path of Goretzka, who makes a great run into the box. His diving header is a good one, but just curls wide of the left post.
The goalscorer departs
The former Bayern reserves man leaves the field with a knock after scoring the only goal so far.
Engels wins the ball in the middle of the park and his first thought is to drive forward. He crosses into Maeda at the far post, who gets around Stanišić to head goalwards. But it's straight at Neuer.
Kompany immediately goes to the bench after conceding. Davies and Sané come in for Guerreiro and Gnabry. Can they help find a way back into this match?
Celtic draw first blood. Maeda refuses to give up on a misplaced pass, winning the ball high up the pitch. He plays it into the path of Kühn, who slots it home into the bottom left to level the tie. Game on!
Bayern have a promising break. It's worked to Coman on the left, who tries to beat Johnston inside the box, but the Canadian makes a superb tackle to halt the attack.
56'
Side netting
Kimmich finds Stanišić at the far post. The full-back attempts a driven cross back into the danger area, but he slices it into the side netting.
52'
Jota down
There's a stoppage in play after the Celtic winger got a ball in the face. He is removed to receive treatment and play resumes.
47'
Goretzka!
Huge early chance for Bayern. It breaks for Goretzka, who drives into the box, forcing a fantastic save out of Schmeichel in the Celtic goal.
46'
Back underway!
The ball is rolling again for the second half here. Bayern make one change: Harry Kane is replaced by Kingsley Coman.
It's been an electrifying encounter but there's nothing to separate these sides going in at the break. Celtic were probably the better side for the opening 20 minutes, going close multiple times. Bayern dominated possession throughout and grew as the half went on, their best chance falling to Kane just before the whistle, but they'll need to up the tempo after the interval if they're to ensure they progress through this tie.
A low cross in from Stanišić on the right finds Kane waiting in the box. Bayern's No. 9 curls an effort towards the far post, but it rattles off the crossbar. Schmeichel was beaten...
Nothing to separate these sides
Will a breakthrough be found before the end of the first half?
A really promising-looking attack for Bayern breaks down after Gnabry attempts a through ball for Goretzka, but just miscues his pass.
39'
Another Kimmich corner
It comes in from the right, looking for the head of Upamecano, but once again Celtic clear.
38'
Just wide
Olise gets through down the right channel before cutting it back to Kimmich. The Bayern midfielder's first-time effort is narrowly wide of the right post.
36'
Foul
Olise makes a tactical foul on the half-way line to break up a potential Celtic attack.
31'
Gnabry shoots
The winger dribbles past a couple of Celtic defenders before breaking into the box. He gets a shot away from just off the right, but Celtic get a block in.
27'
Guerreiro wins a corner
The Portuguese's attempt at a cut-back is blocked behind for a corner. Kimmich takes, but Schmeichel punches it away.
Joy down the right
Bayern are yet to find a breakthrough, but have been very creative through Olise on the right flank.
Kimmich takes again, from the other side this time. It's taken short to Olise, who plays it on to Gnabry, but his attempt at a cross is well off target.
23'
Corner to Bayern
Kane forces a good save from Schmeichel from the edge of the box before Johnston clears the second ball behind for a corner. Kimmich takes, swinging it in from the left, but Maeda clears from the front post.
21'
Surviving scares
After a spell of intense Celtic pressure, Bayern are beginning to retake control of this match, dominating the ball inside the Celtic half.
17'
Quickfire chances
Celtic keep coming. This time Engels gets down the right, searching for Maeda at the far post with a low cross. Stretching, the Japanese international can't steer it goalwards.
16'
Off the line again!
Jota does fantastically well to beat Stanišić down the left before crossing to Kühn at the far post. The German squeezes a shot past Neuer, but Guerreiro is there to clear it off the line.
Stanišić battling
The full-back has been very lively in the opening minutes here.
The high Celtic press rewards the visitors with possession high up the pitch. McGregor goes clear, but his left-footed effort is well over the bar.
4'
Off the line!
Olise gets to the byline down the right channel from where he crosses to Gnabry at the back post. The German heads it goalwards, but Johnston makes a crucial block on the line.
3'
Early chance
Stanišić plays a low cross in from the right looking for Musiala at the penalty spot. Celtic manage to make a vital intervention before it reaches his foot.
1'
And we're off!
The ball is rolling here in the Allianz Arena.
Kick-off!
Limbering up
Both sets have players have just finished their warm-ups and have now returned to the dressing rooms to get changed. The Allianz Arena pitch is getting one final watering and then we'll be up and running.
Both Kim (pictured) and Stanišić were unused substitutes in the first leg in Glasgow last week, with Dier and Laimer preferred at centre-back and right-back respectively. However, Bayern's defence struggled when Celtic attacker Daizen Maeda moved more centrally in the second half. Could the more agile and speedy Kim be Kompany's answer to that particular problem today?
Former Augsburg midfielder Arne Engels starts for Celtic tonight. He faced Bayern four times before during his time in Bavaria, although each time he was met with defeat. Can he overturn this record with the Scottish Champions tonight?
Likewise for Brendan Rodgers, there are four changes to his Celtic side that beat Dundee United 3-0 over the weekend. Johnston, Engels, Maeda and Kühn all come in for Ralston, McCowan, Idah and Yang, who drop to the bench.
More on that Bayern side
Vincent Kompany makes four changes to his side that drew 0-0 against Leverkusen last time out. Coman, Laimer, Ito and Pavlović all take their place on the bench, whilst Gnabry, Guerreiro, Stanišić and Goretzka are picked to start. There were doubts over Davies' and Palhinha's fitness ahead of this one, but both make the bench.
The winner of this tie will face either Bayer Leverkusen or Atlético Madrid in the last 16, with the exact bracket pairings to be confirmed in the draw on Friday 21 February at UEFA's headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland (from 12:00 CET).
Familiar foes
Harry Kane and Celtic goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel were once team-mates at Leicester City. The Bayern forward spent five months on loan there from former club Tottenham in the second half of the 2012/13 season. Including his goal in last week's first leg, Kane has now scored 17 times at club level against the Denmark international.
The Hoops are battling against a crushing weight of history as they bid to reach the last 16 of the competition. Celtic have never won in Germany in 15 attempts, losing on each of their their last five visits and ten of the last 12.
1:00
Watch: Musiala's skills showcase
It is in tight, tense, nerve-wracking matches like these that the very best players tend to thrive. Jamal Musiala is very much in that category, and his lock-picking ability is likely to be needed against a robust Celtic defence. Here's a glimpse of what he can do...
Brendan Rodgers on the second leg at Bayern
“The goal that we scored brings a different view of the game. Coming in at 2-1 rather than 2-0 is a big difference. When you play two-legged games, it’s important that you come in to the second game with the opportunity and the chance. We had to be smart last week and we’ll have to be smart tomorrow in the game, but we have players who can score goals. We know we can defend at this level and it’s just about having that courage and bravery to go and play our game. We know that we’ll have to play really well to come through. Anything is possible in the game."
"When you're playing against teams who are used to dominating and scoring lots of goals in their domestic league, then you have a team who are always dangerous when they get forward. Celtic showed that as well, but we did well against them. And we still have to play the second half of this tie. The parameters haven't changed. But it's our home leg and we want to take advantage of that."
After coming away from Celtic Park with a well-earned away win, their first in Europe since December 2023, Harry Kane and co will look to finish the job at home. The Three Lions captain and Michael Olise both struck in the first leg to help Bayern edge to a 2-1 win.
Bayern's mission to bring the Meisterschale back to Munich remains on track and with Jamal Musiala's contract extension, they are in a good place for the present and future.
Miss of the season?
In what turned out to be the biggest moment of the game from the weekend, Florian Wirtz's miss from point-blank range turned out to be the defining moment for a Bayern defence that did enough to stifle Xabi Alonso's side on the day.
Vincent Kompany's side shared the spoils against rivals Bayer Leverkusen at the weekend, maintaining their eight points difference at the top of the Bundesliga standings.
Welcome!
Thanks for joining us for build-up and live coverage of the second leg of Bayern Munich's knockout play-off tie against Celtic in the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League, being played at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday.
Want more Bundesliga Action?
First-leg report
Harry Kane was on target as Bayern recorded a vital 2-1 win in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 play-off away to Celtic.
There was an electric start to the action at Celtic Park, as former Bayern man Nicolas Kühn looked to have put the hosts into the lead after only 25 seconds when his low shot from just outside the area founds its way into Manuel Neuer’s bottom corner. The goal was ruled out for offside, though, with Adam Idah adjudged to have interfered with Neuer’s view. Bayern’s first sight of goal came through Michael Olise, who fired straight at Kasper Schmeichel from close range after a one-two with Kane. The balance of play soon tipped in Bayern’s favour after some nervy opening moments, but finding a way through Celtic’s stern defence still proved difficult. Likewise, Celtic showed that they could counter quickly without really testing Neuer. Kane looked as if he was about to put his side into the lead just past the half-hour mark, but could only head straight at Schmeichel with what was an uncharacteristic miss, which he’ll be glad was called offside. Kane’s next close-range header towards the Celtic goal wasn’t called for offside, but instead hit the side netting from a tight angle at the back post. It looked as if the sides would head into the break all square, until Olise cut into the area from the right-hand side before finishing emphatically into Schmeichel’s near top-corner.
Bayern started the second half confidently, with a flurry of corners in the opening minutes resulting in them scoring their second of the game through Kane, who volleyed home from inside the six-yard box at the far post. Celtic thought they might be offered a route back into the game after an extensive VAR review of a challenge from Dayot Upamecano on Arne Engels inside the area. Luckily for Bayern, though, the decision was no penalty. The hosts reacted well to conceding the second goal and did have more possession in Bayern’s defensive third in the following 15 minutes, but couldn’t create a clear-cut chance to get themselves back into the game. Bayern soon regained control, but with a two-goal cushion, didn’t have the same attacking urgency as they had in the previous hour. A lapse in concentration in the Bayern defence almost gave Celtic a route back into the game, but Daizen Maeda could only flash the ball across the face of the goal from a tight angle after rounding Neuer. The hosts’ search for a goal eventually ended when Maeda nodded home from point-blank range, after Vincent Kompany’s side failed to clear from a corner. An uncomfortable end to the game followed for Bayern against both a determined Celtic side and a boisterous home crowd, but they held out for an important away victory ahead of the home leg on 18 February.
