Cameron Carter-Vickers was back in Champions League action as Celtic took on RB Leipzig this week. And he was instrumental in keeping things tight at the back, while the Hoops shined going forward. A brace from Nicolas Kuhn and a goal from Daizen Maeda was enough to seal a 3-1 win for Brendan Rodgers' side.
It has to be Celtic's best result in Europe over the past decade. The last one of similar importance that comes to mind is their win against FC Barcelona back in 2012.
Of course, while this RB Leipzig team is good, that Barcelona team was special and had players like Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta. There is one key difference in this result though.
Celtic were actually the much better team on the night. They did not sit back and hope to get a goal or two on the counter. No, they were simply outstanding and deserving winners. If they can perform like this, they will give a lot of top teams trouble.
Cameron Carter-Vickers makes bold Celtic claim after big win
Playing at the Champions League level consistently for the past three years has clearly had a positive impact on this team as well. As reported by the Daily Record, Carter-Vickers said:
"We’ve been in the Champions League for three years now and throughout that time it’s been a process of learning for us as a club. Now we feel like we’re ready and the belief has grown in the group. We know we can get to that level, and it’s now just about doing that continuously and repeating it. You can always improve.
“That’s what we’re trying to do, but like I said before, the three years we’ve been in this competition now. It’s been a process for us, a learning process and also a process for us to believe as a group of players.
“We’re at the stage now where a lot of us have played enough games now at this level that we know we can perform at it. It’s just about putting that together and giving it our all."
It is funny how quickly perceptions can change in football. Just a few weeks back, when this team lost against Borussia Dortmund by a 7-1 scoreline, most people would have written off their chances of making it too the next phase of the competition. Questions were raised about Rodgers as well.
Now, they have seven points from the first four games and sit higher on the table than Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, AC Milan and a few other world-class teams. That is not to say that Celtic are better. But just that they have exceeded all expectations and deserve credit for the improvements they have made.