A Hart-to-hart with Joe over Griff goals

times because Scotland were slotted into 5-4-1 when they didn’t have the ball and the ball was coming forward, but he was putting Chris Smalling and Gary Cahill under real pressure.

“I thought he pressed very well and with real intelligence in the game. With the ball, I thought his set-up play was exceptional, he didn’t give away too many balls.

“The quality of his first touch was very good and his link-up play in terms of his overall game was very, very good.

“You know with Leigh Griffiths that at whatever level he is playing at, from 25 yards in he is as good as you will see.

“He has this incredible knack of that. I bumped into Joe Hart when I was away on holiday and he commented on the level of free kick and Joe has faced many top class players.

But to do it in a game of that magnitude… you know, the first one is Leigh all day, he has great swerve, great bend.

“He was close earlier with a free kick when he hit it really well but it didn’t come in enough.

“But to do it in quick succession, to not just do it on the goalkeeper’s left but to do it on his right side, they were goals that were worthy of winning the game.

“It was unfortunate to concede late on but his performance and his two goals were exceptional.”

Celtic are expected to kick off their Uefa Champions League qualifiers with a game in Belfast, assuming that the Northern Irish side overcome San Marino minnows La Fiorita in their opening qualifier, the first leg of which takes place next week.

The date of the potential tie against Linfield has been switched from the 12th to Friday the 14th in an attempt to defuse the tension around the game.

The move comes after extensive talks between the PSNI and both clubs, with the authorities voicing their concerns about the policing of any game on the 11th or 12th given that it is the climax to the Orange Order’s marching season.