Brendan Rodgers believes that Celtic has restored its credibility in the European stage despite suffering a cruel exit from the champions League play-offs.
He needing to win in Germany at the 16th time to ask for a deficit of 2-1 in the first leg, Celtic heroically served in the Allianz Arena and square the draw when the former reservation of Bayern Nicolas Kuhn scored in 63 minutes.
Just when it seemed that Rodgers' team was going to take the six-time winners in extra time, however, the Alphonso Davies substitute scored a goal in the last minute of detention time to give the Germans a aggregate victory of 3- 2.
Although his team was cruelly eliminated, Celtic manager was proud of the performance that disturbed the Bavarian giants.
Brendan Rodgers cannot be seen as Bayern's late goal
Alphonso Davies scores at the last minute to get Celtic from the Champions League
“I think European credibility would always be important for us this season,” he said. 'That is my conclusion of this campaign during the 10 games. We learned some valuable lessons along the way. We play an incredible football along the way and we have taken a club of this size and magnitude until the end.
'Then, that and everything that comes with that allows us to build. I think that last year I felt that we had developed even though we never obtained the points. I thought the performance was good.
'I think this season has been very good. We have made the progress that made me want to return. Now we have to finish the season with force.
'We have two titles to go. We want to get to the Champions League next season and seek to build the team again.
“My unwavering plan is to make this an experienced club at this level where we can go and really hurt the great opponents such as Bayern Munich.”
Rodgers said that he could barely have asked more of his players when they reached the amplitude of a hair to achieve monumental discomfort.
“It is a first pride mixture at the level of performance,” he added. 'We have to remember that this is Bayern Munich and I think everyone had talked about that before the game and the challenges we have here.
'But I thought about the performance we were outstanding in the game. We played without fear, defended so well with discipline, pressed in the right times, we gave them problems on that side of the accumulation and then we could be compact and tight in the right times and did not give so much.
Nicolas Kuhn shoots Celtic in an advantage of the second half in the Allianz Arena
Celtic players suffer full time after granting a late decisive goal against Bayern
'In the first half we create very, very good opportunities. In the second half we have to defend a little more, but we know the game plan and the idea of the game.
'Then we put ourselves in front, and deservedly, I felt. Then it was that we could get the second, but it never seemed that we gave up the goal we did. And obviously, unfortunately for us, in the end we did.
“But I can only pride a pride of the performance and, as I say, the boys gave everything.”
Amid the natural disappointment of leaving, Rodgers promised to remind his players that his brave exhibition would have observed throughout Europe.
“Yes, and that is my job to do that,” he added.
'I think that tonight I was so disappointed by them, what they gave to the game, what they gave to the occasion. We run a team that will see themselves as potential finalists, very, very close.