Adam Idah says Celtic ‘still in it’ despite losing first leg to Bayern Munich

Celtic striker Adam Idah believes they have shown they can go “toe to toe” with Europe’s top teams as he stressed it was all to play for against Bayern Munich.

Celtic lost 2-1 against the German side at home on Wednesday but Daizen Maeda’s late goal has kept the Champions League play-off alive ahead of next Tuesday’s second leg in the Allianz Arena.

Bayern dominated possession before taking command with goals either side of half-time but Celtic were otherwise solid and found their attacking rhythm later in the match.

Idah said: “We knew it was going to be tough, they’re obviously a top team, one of the best in the world, but I thought we put up a good fight. We’re still in this tie and it’s a big one on Tuesday.

“I think it’s just having that confidence and belief going into these big games, that we can go toe-to-toe with the big teams. It’s just going out and actually doing it and proving it.

“The last 15-20 minutes was really good and all the fans backed us. Everyone’s looking forward to Tuesday. We’re still in it and we’re looking forward to it.”

Celtic at least have a chance to show how much they have progressed since losing 7-1 to Borussia Dortmund on matchday two. Clean sheets away to Atalanta and Dinamo Zagreb have already indicated they have learnt how to deal with difficult periods in games.

Idah said: “I think we’re a top team as well and we can prove to ourselves that we can play at that level. I think we’ve learnt a lot from the games previously, from the likes of the Dortmund game. You can’t switch off at any minute.

“You have to be on it all the time and that’s something we’ve learnt. I think you could tell that by the game on Wednesday night. Even though we didn’t probably have as much as the ball, it’s about the other side of the game, being defensive, staying compact. We’ve done that really well.

“From the Atalanta game, I think that was probably the first game we’ve had where we did have to sit back and be compact and not have as much of the ball.

“We took a lot from that game, understanding and realising that you won’t have a lot of the ball in these European games.”

Celtic might be heading to Germany in a better position had two major decisions not gone against them.

A second-half penalty claim was turned down following a VAR review after Bayern defender Dayot Upamecano stood on Arne Engels’ foot.

Celtic were also denied a goal inside 28 seconds when Idah was flagged offside after Nicolas Kuhn’s shot beat Manuel Neuer.

“It was a bit of a mad one,” the Republic of Ireland international said. “It was an unbelievable start. These things happen in football. I still don’t know myself, is it interfering with Neuer or not?”

Celtic first host Dundee United in the William Hill Premiership, where they have the chance to go 16 points clear of Rangers, for 24 hours at least.

Idah said: “At the start of the season I found it quite tough going from Champions League back to playing league games. But I think having the experienced boys in the group really helps. Cal (McGregor), Greg (Taylor), Jamesy (Forrest), they kind of help you get through it.

“It’s the same goal with every game. We want to win games and we want to go out and perform well.”