- Celtic out of the Champions League after 2-1 defeat by Bayern Munich
- Callum McGregor scored Celtic’s equaliser before Javi Martinez got the winner
- Hoops out of the Champions League and now hope for a Europa League place
- McGregor believes narrow defeat proves Hoops can cope with Europe’s elite
- The midfielder described the defeat as ‘a stepping stone in the right direction’
Celtic goalscorer Callum McGregor hopes to use Tuesday’s defeat by Bayern Munich as a ‘stepping stone’ for future European success.
There were plenty of positives for the Hoops after suffering a narrow 2-1 defeat by the German champions at Celtic Park, despite their now inevitable exit from the Champions League.
With just three points from four matches, progress from Group B is now impossible, but the attention turns to the Europa League, where Brendan Rodgers’ side will fancy their chances if they can replicate their latest Parkhead performance.
Callum McGregor believes Bayern Munich defeat leaves positive for Celtic moving forward
McGregor, who impressed on his first start in the group stages with a goal, feels they will take a lot of confidence from the match after shipping three goals in the reverse fixture in Munich.
‘You want to test yourself against the best players,’ he said. ‘Being a footballer, that’s where you want to play and learn as much as you can.
McGregor celebrates his leveller against Bayern Munich at Celtic Park on Wednesday
The Hoops midfielder scores to give Celtic a glimmer of Champions League hope
‘In terms of the previous games, it feels like a stepping stone in the right direction. You can see we’re getting better with every game we play.
‘We have a better tactical idea of what we’re trying to do in these big games and I think you saw that we can go toe to toe and really mix it with the big boys.
‘That’s what we did and that’s what we wanted to show, we were just unfortunate with the two goals.’
Javi Martinez scores the winner moments later to knock Celtic out of the competition
The Hoops will now face off with Anderlecht as they battle for a place in the Europa League
A misjudgement from Dedryck Boyata allowed Kingsley Coman to round Craig Gordon for the Bayern opener against the run of play, before McGregor finished coolly in the second half.
Javi Martinez scored the winner moments after McGregor’s strike condemn Brendan Rodgers’ side to a third-placed finish, but the 24-year-old is refusing to write off Anderlecht before the Belgain side’s visit to Glasgow in December.
‘First of all we need to look after actually getting there. We know it will be a tough game when Anderlecht come here,’ he added.
‘We need to focus and if we get through then we’ll see who we get and take it from there.’
The Belgian side travel to Glasgow in December and will hope to further upset the Hoops