Brendan Rodgers lauds Celtic’s James Forrest after Bayern defeat

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James Forrest was exceptional in Celtic’s Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich on Tuesday night.

Celtic’s Callum McGregor (L) celebrates with James Forrest

Brendan Rodgers told BT Sport’s live post-match coverage of Celtic’s Champions League tie with Bayern Munich (broadcast on 31st October 2017 from 19:00) that he thought that James Forrest was outstanding against the Bundesliga giants.

The Hoops may have seen their slim hopes of reaching the knockout stages of the competition dashed, but they showed a tremendous amount of spirit as they went into the final 15 minutes level with Bayern having initially gone behind.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers

They would not be level for long, but it was still a brilliant effort from the Scottish Premiership side. And one of the top performers was Forrest, who set up Celtic’s equaliser with a truly stunning piece of work on the edge of the box that saw Callum McGregor played through one on one.

And after the game, Rodgers was full of praise for the winger’s performance on the night, and labelled him as one of the best he has worked with in his position.

“He plays that role very, very well. He’s one of the best wide players I’ve worked with, especially in protecting the ball when it comes to him in a tight space,” he told BT Sport’s live post-match coverage of Celtic’s Champions League clash with Bayern Munich (broadcast on 31st October 2017 from 19:00).

“But you see his ability when he comes inside, and just that creativity to lift it over and make the pass – it was a sensational pass at this level. He was outstanding in his performance.”

The spirit shown in the performance should give the Bhoys a major boost heading into the last two games in the group. The daunting trip to Paris – PSG have still not conceded a goal in this year’s group-stage – and the home clash against Anderlecht will still be important for Rodgers’ men with a Europa League qualification spot to play for.

But if Forrest and his teammates play like they did against Bayern, you would imagine that the Hoops will have absolutely no problem booking their place in the Europa League and perhaps thriving in that competition after Christmas.