“So underrated”, “Class act” – Media blown away by performance of “stellar” Celtic star

Celtic midfielder Arne Engels had a Champions League debut to remember as Celtic hammered Slovan Bratislava 5-1 in Wednesday’s opener at Parkhead, with football analyst Jacek Kulig labelling the 21-year-old’s performance as ‘stellar’.

Engels put in a complete midfield display and joined Celtic legend Henrik Larsson as the club’s first player to score and assist in a Champions League fixture.

The 21-year-old impressed on his first European start, beginning early by assisting Liam Scales’ opener from a 17th-minute corner, before scoring a 56th-minute penalty.

The Belgium international, signed for a reported club-record fee of £11m from Bundesliga side Augsburg, made only his second start for Brendan Rodgers’ side after arriving on the final day of the transfer window.

The Wednesday match marked only the second time Celtic have scored four or more goals in a single Champions League game. The previous occasion was a 4-3 win over Juventus in October 2001.

There were five different goalscorers at Parkhead on Wednesday night, with Scales opening, followed by Kyogo Furuhashi, Engels, Daizen Maeda, and Adam Idah joining the party in the second half.

Arne Engels Shines in Celtic Win

‘Had a stellar debut’

Kulig, writing on X, lauded Engels’ performance on Wednesday night, suggesting the Belgian ‘could easily play’ for top European clubs after his stellar display at Parkhead:

Former Scotland forward James McFadden labelled Engels as ‘class’ after the 21-year-old showed confidence on the ball in the emphatic 5-1 victory and praised the Belgian’s reading of the game:

“He’s a class act. You can see the confidence.

“Sometimes you see players who move for big money and you think: ‘How are they going to cope with that pressure?’ Especially at a young age.

“He’s recently turned 21 but he is class. He’s so comfortable on the ball and his understanding of playing in that midfield position well.

“He knows when to go high, when to tuck around. His reading of the game, he’s tracking back and covering his team-mates.”

A new signing at Parkhead, Engels made over 50 Bundesliga appearances for Augsburg before taking his talents to Celtic last month, penning a four-year deal.

Celtic and Engels will now face a major step up in their second Champions League game, with a trip to last season’s finalists Borussia Dortmund up next, followed by another away fixture against Europa League winners Atalanta.

Celtic Handed Easy Champions League Draw

Avoid European powerhouses

According to Opta, Celtic’s Champions League fixtures are rated as the ‘easiest’ across all 36 teams in the tournament, having avoided clashes with some of Europe’s biggest powerhouses.

The Scottish champions will arguably face the least daunting opponents from pot one in Bundesliga duo Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig, while Club Brugge and Atalanta pose challenges from pot two.

Pot three saw Brendan Rodgers’ side matched with Young Boys and Dinamo Zagreb, with an Aston Villa clash remaining from pot four.