It is safe to say that Celtic enjoyed one of their best Champions League campaign in a long, long time. They lost only twice in eight matches in the first phase of the competition. Even these defeats came away from home against top teams like Borussia Dortmund and Aston Villa. Then in the knockout phase, they exceeded all expectations and took Bayern Munich to their limit.
Bayern Munich won 2-1 at Parkhead but one could argue that Celtic should have gotten a penalty after Dayot Upamecano appeared to step on Arne Engels' foot in the box. Then, the Hoops earned a 1-1 draw away at Allianz Arena.
In fact, Bayern Munich had to rely on a scrambled goal from Alphonso Davies in the 94th minute to win the tie. And in the eyes of most, Celtic were the better team on the day. The Hoops might not have made it to the last 16 of the Champions League but they did win a lot of hearts.
Manchester City were relegated from the same round. They were knocked out by Real Madrid. And it is safe to say that their away performance in the second leg was very different to that of Celtic.
Manchester City claim made about recent Celtic success
As reported by 67 Hail Hail, Stephen Warnock said on Football Focus:
"You got to an away ground and go to attack someone, go press them high, take the game to them.
“Celtic did exactly the opposite of what Manchester City did (against Real Madrid). This was all heart. Desire. It was a gameplan set-up to effectively go and hurt Bayern. Find the weakest points of Bayern Munich.
“This is the hardest part – Johnston switches off for a fraction of a second, but that’s Champions League football. That’s the highest level of football. A lapse in concentration can cost you.
“So sad for Celtic because they have done incredibly well, but they have earned a ton of money within this competition and with this new format."
While Celtic did give Bayern Munich a run for their money in their own backyard, Manchester City did not even come close away at the Santiago Bernabeu. They lost 3-1 and their consolation goal came in the 92nd minute, when the tie was already over.
They were on the receiving end of a hattrick from Kylian Mbappe. And let's just say that when it comes to this round of the Champions League, Celtic certainly did better out of the two.