ALL HAIL MY BHOY WONDERS
Rodgers salutes ‘sensational’ Celts after Forrest’s superb winner
BRENDAN RoDgERs last night branded his Celtic players ‘sensational’ after they secured passage to the final qualifying round of the Champions League.
A stunning James Forrest strike 20 minutes from time came as Norwegian champions Rosenborg threatened a breakthrough in the Lerkendal stadium.
A 1-0 aggregate triumph guarantees six Europa League group games until Christmas for scotland’s champions at the very least.
Tomorrow’s play-off round draw will pair them with one of Hapoel Be’er sheva (last year’s opponents), Qarabag, Rijeka, slavia Prague or Astana — and Rodgers praised his players for keeping their Champions League hopes alive.
‘It was a big performance,’ said the
Celtic manager. ‘What was important for me was to see the maturity and how we are developing as a team. ‘This time last year, I was going into these games with a hope we could get through. ‘Now we go into them and to play to that level and with that composure — it was sensational, really. ‘I’m delighted with the players and how they managed the game, how they kept their nerve and courage to play. ‘I’ve got a trust in them that they understand how we play. We have a way of working. ‘We have identified a style of football and have a philosophy in how we defend and attack. The players are comfortable in it now.’ Starting the game as a central attacker, Forrest secured the win after switching back to the right flank following the introduction of pre-match doubt Leigh Griffiths. ‘James gets his goal from wide but did a great job centrally,’ said Rodgers (below). ‘The goal, the composure in possession of the ball, it was brilliant. It’s a huge credit to the players and where they are at.’ Chiding Forrest for blowing a wonderful chance to double the scoreline in the final minutes, a grinning Rodgers added: ‘He should have scored another one! ‘He played the role really well. He plays it differently to a standard No 9 but you wouldn’t have thought we were playing without a striker. ‘This was a game to manage. It could have gone into extra time. We lost a player early, so that was a sub gone. We wanted to introduce Griff but knew he had a maximum of an hour in his legs. ‘When the draw comes there will be one of those anxious moments over the two legs. But 12 months on, it’s a different mentality and feel. ‘Whoever we get, it will be a tough game, but my focus now is on Hearts on Saturday.’ Danish defender Erik Sviatchenko faces another spell on the sidelines after limping from the field with a knee knock after 25 minutes. A pre-match doubt with groin problems, the absence of Kristoffer Ajer forced the Parkhead boss to put midfielder Nir Bitton into central defence. ‘Erik, I won’t know until the next couple of days,’ said Rodgers. ‘He straightened his leg and the guy landed on him. ‘Leigh came on and played it well. Some of his set-up play, you could see his threat. Some of his link-up play was very good. ‘I was comfortable throughout the game. We haven’t conceded a goal yet. ‘People talk about our creativity but there is a steel to it as well.’ Disappointed Rosenborg coach Kare Ingebrigtsen accused his players of standing off Celtic in the first half. ‘We showed them too much respect,’ he said. ‘The second 45 minutes we handled better. We were having the best period of our game when they scored.’