Rodgers praises Celtic’s courage as they prevent Atalanta from gaining a valuable Champions League point

Brendan Rodgers praised the courage of his Celtic players after scoring a valuable Champions League point against Europa League winners Atalanta.

Muted 7-1 by Borussia Dortmund in their last away game, they maintained exceptional levels of concentration and discipline to hold off Serie A’s most prolific team and secure a 0-0 draw.

It was only the club’s second clean sheet at this stage of the tournament, and the first time they have left Italy undefeated in the competition.

Now, four points from three matches strengthen the hopes of qualifying for the play-offs in the new format.

“The concentration in the game was superb and you have to have it,” Rodgers said. “The talent that (Atalanta) have, you are talking about the best scorers in Italian football.

“So coming here, playing with that focus, that commitment, while carrying threat and danger when we had the ball, was very, very enjoyable.

Brendan Rodgers praised Liam Scales after Celtic’s goalless draw against Atalanta

Auston Trusty produced his best Celtic performance to date at the heart of Bergamo’s defense

Kasper Schmeichel helped Celtic secure a draw that gave them hope of reaching the playoffs.

“The players showed great courage, focused on defending the area well. It was a very, very good point for us.

A huge contrast to Dortmund – when Celtic trailed 5-1 at half-time – Rodgers felt his players had learned their lessons from a bruising evening in Germany.

“I told them again after that game that we didn’t want to feel like that again,” he said.

“But I had the impression that there were things that were beyond their control in this match. In Dortmund, we had two penalties and a few deflected goals. So, all of a sudden, we are four goals down and it’s a challenge.

“But I never doubted the players and their mentality. We reacted immediately and won our next match. And then we come to a team that is so effective going forward, with the quality and power it has For our players to stand up and fight and have that dignity in the performance, I was so proud of them.

With Cameron Carter-Vickers out injured and out, the central defensive partnership of Liam Scales and Auston Trusty excelled under relentless pressure. “Both central defenders made very big heads,” added Rodgers. “Scalesy has been doing this for a long time. He defends the box so well.

On Trusty’s best performance in a Celtic jersey, Rodgers said: “The guy is filling in and doing wonderfully, playing his unnatural side. He plays on this right side. Clearly, he is a left defender. But what it gives us is a physicality. He can win the race, so he won’t be far behind in terms of pace. And you’ll see it tonight, when the balls go into the box.

With Dortmund and Atalanta seen as Celtic’s toughest games, a point to add to the opening night win over Slovan Bratislava boosted hopes of a top-24 finish, guaranteeing a place in dams.

“If you look at our first three games and you scored four points, I’m very happy with that,” added Rodgers.

“The first game they were absolutely brilliant. They had everything, offensive, defensive. The match against Dortmund speaks for itself. We joined a top team with great talent and kept a clean sheet.

“We have five games left to play. Hopefully we can look forward to our next match (home against RB Leipzig on November 5) and earn more points. But it’s a really big confidence boost.

Celtic’s £5million summer signing Trusty withstood a barrage of Atalanta crosses and ‘loved’ the experience.

“It’s a strong point of my game. If they want to cross it, so be it,” the defender said. “The more, the merrier.

“You have to be a little crazy to choose a central defender. We are put in these situations where we have to recover the ball with our head and make last minute tackles and sometimes dangerous tackles. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like it.