I was enjoying every moment; another 30 minutes would've been incredible

With 90 minutes of standard time remaining in the second leg of Celtic's Champions League play-off match against Bayern Munich, the Scottish champions were on track to force extra time in their own home.

Brendan Rodgers' team led 1-0 on the night thanks to Nicolas Kuhn's second-half goal, and it could have been more.

Several first-half opportunities came and went as Celtic pressed and harassed Bayern all over the field.

Bayern were spooked, unable to find answers against a team they were heavily favored to overcome.

Nonetheless, in the penultimate minute of extra time, Alphonso Davies scrambled home from close range after Kasper Schmeichel had saved Leon Goretzka's header to send the Germans through.

"Frustration and disappointment..." "I thought it was a heroic performance, very brave," Schmeichel stated following such a devastating blow.

Most, if not all, of the performers in green were described as heroic, with Schmeichel standing out.

The Denmark goalkeeper, a veteran of massive games, made eight stops as Celtic fended off everything Bayern threw at them until they didn't.

"Football is a cruel game sometimes, that's the emotion at the moment," he maintained. "I was loving every minute so another 30 would have been amazing."

Manager Brendan Rodgers was effusive in his appreciation for his team's performance against one of Europe's most prominent clubs.

"We were outstanding, playing without fear," the Northern Irishman added. "Defended so effectively, with discipline, pressed at the correct times, gave them trouble on that side, and were able to remain compact and tight when necessary.

"It never looked like we'd concede the goal like we did. I can only be proud of the boys' effort; they gave it their all."

Celtic defied expectations and proved the doubters wrong

Just over four months ago, the discussion about Celtic in European football was entirely different.

They were crushed by Borussia Dortmund, who defeated them 7-1 on a terrible night, appearing to be out of their depth at the top level.

Nevertheless, they reassembled and came up with solutions.

Wins over RB Leipzig and Young Boys were followed by decent draws against Atalanta, Club Brugge, and Dinamo Zagreb, paving the way for a showdown with Bayern.

Bayern leads Dortmund by 26 points and 10 places in the Bundesliga.

Bayern, who Celtic justifiably led in Munich until the final moments.

Despite the heartbreak, the game demonstrated Celtic's growth over the previous four months.

"There's so much disappointment but when we take a step back and analyse the fact we're away to Bayern and are disappointed in drawing, I think that says a lot when you think of where we started," Schmeichel told the players.

Former Scotland forward James McFadden shared such sentiments: "Celtic suffered out there and they proved people wrong," he told Sportsound.

"People watching will think, 'Celtic are a really good team.'" Everyone concerned will be disappointed at the minute because they believe they might have won the tie.

"That tells you how far they have come."

Moving forward, Rodgers sees the building blocks that will allow Celtic to compete with Europe's elite teams once more next season.

Only Aston Villa overcame them in the league phase following the thrashing of Dortmund, and the Celtic manager believes his players will benefit from their European experiences.

"We learned some valuable lessons along the way, played some amazing football," he told me.

"It lets us build. We've made the improvement that drew me back, and now it's time to end the season strong.

"My unswerving plan is to make it a seasoned club at this level, where we can go and really hurt big opponents like Bayern Munich."