Daizen Maeda is a Celtic UNICORN as blown away teammate peeks at GPS stats and can't believe what he's seeing

It might have been when they replaced Leroy Sane with Kingsley Coman on his side of the pitch.

Or when they started pinging passes that he’d only attempt in his own back garden. It doesn’t really matter. On Wednesday night at Parkhead, Alistair Johnston knew Celtic had stepped up a level when they faced the might of Bayern Munich. Brendan Rodgers’ side battled to salvage a 2-1 defeat in their Champions League play-off first-leg tie thanks to Daizen Maeda’s late goal. But that was only after Michael Olise’s stunning strike and a trademark Harry Kane volley had put the German giants in the driving seat.

Johnston and Celtic won’t give up on their dream of reaching the last 16. But they’ll need the performance of their lives – and one of the biggest results in the club’s history – in the Allianz Arena on Tuesday to progress. Canadian full-back Johnston enjoyed testing himself against the likes of Olise, Kane, Sane, Coman, Serge Gnabry and Jamal Musiala. But he accepts that Bayern are one of Europe’s top dogs and potential winners of the trophy on May 31.

As he reflected on the Hoops’ defeat to Vincent Kompany’s side, Johnston said: “First you see the physical side of Bayern’s game – their ability to cover ground and get in amongst it. But then there’s their confidence. I mean, the passes they make are passes we can all make. But to make them under that kind of pressure on these occasions? That’s special.

“It’s those little clipped balls that break your press, like when they drop it into Kane. I’m like, ‘Yeah, I could play that. But maybe only in the back garden with my nine-year-old cousin.’ Would I try it in a Champions League knockout match? No way.

“That’s the reason they are who they are. It’s why they’re on the wages