TALKING CELTIC
WITH the clock ticking down in Brussels, Brendan Rodgers sat motionless, watching his team whir about in front of him.
His assistant, Chris Davies, was similarly dormant just 10 minutes from Celtic’s first Champions League victory of the campaign, the need for directing their team in the heat of this Belgian battle having long since subsided.
While the coaching staff who helped orchestrate this memorable night against Belgian champions Anderlecht remained static, the players under their charge were in the middle of proving they are very much upwardly mobile.
Songs of balmy nights in Lisbon sung by the 1200 who followed their team here filled the humid air engulfing the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium to provide a j ubilant backdrop.
Giving them an away win in this competition has been long in the making. This was only their second away win in 28 attempts, the previous solitary occasion coming in Moscow in 2012. It was the first European group win in 16.
It was a night of new experiences for the Scottish champions. Goals from Leigh Griffiths and Patrick Roberts thrust them into uncharted territory as they took a two-goal lead away from home in the Champions League for the first time.
In truth, the second one, which was deflected into the net less than 10 minutes into the second half, probably wasn’t needed against a managerless Anderlecht team that was as rudderless on the park as they were off it.
Their ship had long since sunk by the time Scott Sinclair scampered in on goal in the 93rd minute to make it three as Rodgers got out of his seat to offer composed applause.
News of Paris Saint-Germain’s opener in Paris against Bayern Munich filtered through in Brussels while both Anderlecht and Celtic took part in an exercise of goodwill by surrendering the ball to each other with alarming irregularity during the opening moments.
Even simple passes failed to find their target as a nervy home crowd who have witnessed their team stutter and splutter to their worst domestic start to a campaign in 88 years watched on.
To use some native Glasgow parlance, the hosts were honkin’. Rene Weiler was only sacked last week and it is clear to see why. In Celtic they faced a team who had just been ripped apart 5-0 at home by an albeit star-studded PSG, travelling to Belgium with a truly woeful European away record.
Celtic met little resistance as they eventually found their feet with a devastating impact.
WHILE both teams struggled in the early stages, Celtic had enough class to get the first goal which was always going to be all-or-nothing in this game.
A fabulous ball from Olivier Ntcham – who was floundering up until that point – freed Kieran Tierney on a marauding run down the left and the Motherwell lad’s skidding ball across the six-yard line found Griffiths perfectly. The Scottish champions were up and running.
From then on their dom-in- ance and class came to the surface. Rodgers welcomed his team in at half time having just enjoyed 75 per cent possession in the first half.
Anderlecht may have emerged to throw the kitchen sink at Celtic – well, at least attempt to – but possession had only dropped to 63 per cent by the time the final whistle sounded.
It is clear the stars aligned here perfectly for the Scots under over Belgian skies. While Anderlecht were in a state of disarray, Celtic continue to swell with belief, confidence and maturity.
Just four days after easing by Rangers at Ibrox, there was a similar feel about this performance once that first goal went in.
Starved of possession against PSG in the opening game, the gallus Glaswegian swagger helped brush Anderlecht aside. Unsurprisingly Scott Brown, up until he went off with 20 minutes to go was in the middle of it.
Ultimately it was Celtic’s flare and imagination which won this game. Tierney’s willingness to get forward paid off for the first, as did Roberts’ trickery and guile for the second, while in the dying seconds Sinclair demonstrated his pace and calmness under pressure as the boos rang out around him.
IN terms of the landscape of the group, Celtic fans have good reason to believe they have, even after just two games in Group B, one foot on third place, which of course would bring a Europa League spot.
It is assumed PSG and Bayern Munich will run away with this group – it’s quickly looking like PSG will run away with first while Bayern jog in somewhere behind in the distance – leaving Celtic and Anderlecht left to battle it out for third.
On the basis of what was seen