Rodgers’ delight as Hoops all but wrap up Euro progression
ALASHKERT: Cancarevic, Yedigaryan, Voskanyan, Praznovsky, Daghbashyan, Grigoryan, Dashya, Reiss (Simonyan, 85 mins), Yedigaryan (Manasyan, 82 mins), Sekulic, Nenadovic (Romero, 55 mins). Unused subs: Avagyan, Zeljkovic, Stojkovic, Antonic.
CELTIC: Gordon, Hendry, Ajer, Simunovic, Brown, Forrest, McGregor, Ntcham (Kouassi, 67 mins), Tierney, Dembele (Sinclair, 67 mins), Edouard (Morgan, 77 mins). Unused subs: Bain, Christie, Allan, Ralston.
Man of the Match: Callum McGregor Referee: Danilo Grujic (Serbia)
Match Rating: 7/10 BRENDAN Rodgers saluted his Celtic players after they completed a commanding 3-0 victory with two late goals in the first leg of their opening Champions League qualifier against Alashkert.
The Scottish champions had to cope with the searing heat in Yerevan but led 1-0 at the interval thanks to an added-time goal from Odsonne Edouard, who made his loan deal from Paris St Germain permanent over the summer in a club-record transfer reported to be around £9million.
The French striker redirected a wayward James Forrest drive into the net for his first European goal for the Hoops, but the visitors refused to simply defend their lead and surely booked their place in the second qualifier against Valur Reykjavik or Rosenborg when Forrest scored a second in the 81st minute before Callum McGregor added a third in the 90th minute.
“It is a huge credit to the players and medical staff,” Rodgers (above) said.
“We know we have a long way to go in terms of getting to full capacity but certainly at this stage, to show that hunger and desire to continue to work to the very end, it was a real winning difference.
“They kept pushing and kept working and they got their rewards. So it was a great credit to how hard they have worked fitness-wise.
“A clean sheet was important because as you start to tire in the game you can maybe lose a goal cheaply.
“But we didn’t do that, we concentrated well and scored three very good goals.”
Rodgers believes his side will be all the better from working through the testing conditions against the champions of Armenia.
He added: “It is breathless really. You sense it just standing in it. I thought they coped with it very well.
“They will really benefit from that game in terms of fitness and it sets us up well for the next leg.
“It is just a case of picking the team to win the game but also to get the players developing their fitness.”
≈ NEW Rangers signing Lassana Coulibaly is excited to team up with Steven Gerrard after completing his move from Angers.
The 22-year-old midfielder has joined the club in a season-long loan deal, subject to international clearance, and could make his debut in tomorrow’s Europa League opener against Shkupi.
“I am very happy to be here,” he said. “When my agent told me Steven Gerrard was the manager, I said ‘no problem’ and I am happy to come and join this team.
“The manager can help me to develop my football and he is someone who I watched when he was at Liverpool.”
Roma striker Umar Sadiq has also agreed a move to Ibrox, with the young star likewise moving on a season-long loan deal. HEAD and shoulders above. A semi-final that didn’t soar in the manner suggested, but only because France so assertively stood up in a way that no other side has matched so far.
It was so fitting that the winning goal in this 1-0 came from Samuel Umtiti rising above every Belgian, because it reflected how his side have risen above everyone in the tournament.
They now have the opportunity to win their second World Cup, as they go into their third ever final, but look like they should be anyone’s first choice for victory regardless of who they play.
They were that good here, that difficult to break down. They reduced Belgium’s previous confidence and verve to rubble.
Roberto Martinez has undeniably made this tournament a success, but they couldn’t even make a dent on France. Didier Deschamps’s side were that good, that solid.
“Their progress is huge,” said the French boss of his men.
“The players today are going to be even stronger in two years’ time and in four years’ time but today they are already competitive. We don’t do everything right but of course there is a progression.
“I’m very proud of them, I’m very proud of their mentality as well because I know it’s not just that you are playing at a high level that you are going to score goals but with our state of mind we can climb mountains and that’s what we’ve done so far.”
Martinez, meanwhile, reflected: “It was a close game and it was very tight and it was going to be decided by that bit of luck in front of goal. The attitude of the players was brilliant and we couldn’t ask for anymore. We have to understand one team wins and the other loses, and we did what we could.”
Asked about the French goal, Martinez added: “That is the type of detail that counts in the semi-final of the World Cup. We have one game left and I want to BELGIUM: Courtois, Alderweireld, Kompany, Vertonghen, Chadli (Batshuayi, 90 mins), Dembele (Mertens, 60 mins), Witsel, Fellaini (Carrasco, 80 mins), De Bruyne, Lukaku, E Hazard. Unused subs: Mignolet, Vermaelen, T Hazard, Tielemans, Januzaj, Boyata, Dendoncker, Casteels. FRANCE: Lloris, Pavard, Varane,Umtiti,
ensure we finish the tournament on a high because these players don’t deserve to leave here with a bad taste.” Lucas, Pogba, Kante, Mbappe ,Griezmann, Matuidi (Tolisso, 86 mins), Giroud (Nzonzi, 85 mins). Unused subs: Mandanda, Kimpembe, Lemar, Dembele, Rami, Fekir, Sidibe, Thauvin, Mendy, Areola.
Man of the Match: Samuel Umtiti Referee: Andres Cunha (Uruguay)
Match Rating: 7/10
It is not just how France have gradually grown into this tournament, but how they have clearly grown since Euro 2016.