Celtic earned a valuable point on the road against Atalanta in the Champions League.
The Scottish side were coming off the back of a humiliating defeat to Borussia Dortmund last time out and needed to show resilience in defence on the road in Italy.
And their defence held firm, facing 22 shots but earning a 0-0 draw.
Atalanta dominated possession but could not make their dominance count, missing seven big chances.
And with an xG of 2.33 compared to Celtic’s 0.26, last season’s Europa League winners will feel hard done by.
Read on to discover how the match unfolded.
Leaving Italy with a hard-fought point 👊#AtalantaCeltic | #UCL | #CelticFC🍀 pic.twitter.com/5l0DFifRnl
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) October 23, 2024
How it happened
From the outset, Atalanta looked the more threatening side, with Ademola Lookman and Matteo Retegui causing early problems for Celtic’s defence.
Retegui, the Serie A’s current top scorer, had the first major opportunity in the 14th minute, finding space in the box but firing wide.
It was a sign of things to come as Celtic’s backline struggled to contain the Italian side’s forwards.
Celtic, however, responded well.
After a slow start, they grew into the game, and their direct style began to cause issues for Atalanta’s defence.
Callum McGregor and Daizen Maeda linked up effectively, but they were unable to break through Atalanta’s backline, marshalled by Berat Djimsiti, who was quick to snuff out any Celtic threat.
Atalanta nearly took the lead in the 18th minute when Mario Pasalic connected powerfully with a Davide Zappacosta cross, only for the ball to crash off the crossbar.
FULL TIME | Pareggio a reti inviolate al Gewiss 🛑
It finishes all square.#UCL #AtalantaCeltic 0-0 FT #GoAtalantaGo⚫️🔵 pic.twitter.com/4MNXNfe1HP
— Atalanta B.C. (@Atalanta_BC) October 23, 2024
Pasalic had another chance from the rebound, but his follow-up effort landed on the roof of the net.
It was a let-off for Celtic, who found themselves under increasing pressure as the first half progressed.
Celtic’s best opportunity came late in the first half when Engels forced Atalanta goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi into a scrambling save.
The Belgian forward managed to shift the ball onto his stronger foot before unleashing a shot that required a sharp stop.
The second half began with Atalanta again taking control, pushing Celtic deeper into their own half.
Retegui had a golden opportunity in the 48th minute to put the hosts ahead, but his close-range effort was crucially intercepted by Liam Scales, who had an outstanding game.
As the game wore on, both sides turned to their benches to try and break the deadlock.
Atalanta introduced Nicolo Zaniolo and Charles De Ketelaere, while Celtic brought on Kyogo Furuhashi and James Forrest to add fresh legs.
However, neither set of substitutes managed to significantly alter the flow of the game.
A late free-kick in stoppage time offered Atalanta one last chance, but Kasper Schmeichel dealt with the danger, ensuring Celtic left Italy with a well-earned point.
