Celtic end wait for an away-day win to move to cusp of qualification
BRENDAN RODGERS insists Celtic will go for broke against visitors RB salzburg next month — despite needing just a point to reach the last 32 of the Europa League.
scott sinclair scored the only goal of the game three minutes before half-time to secure a comfortable win over Rosenborg in Trondheim’s Lerkendal stadium.
It was Celtic’s first away victory in the Europa League group stage at the 15th attempt, with salzburg’s 1-0 win over RB Leipzig in the other group B match clearing the fog of confusion surrounding qualification.
Avoid defeat in two weeks’ time to the Austrian side — who have now won the group after fears of a carve-up against
their sister club proved unfounded — and Celtic will clinch European football after Christmas. Predicting a ‘special night’ in Glasgow’s east end on December 13, Rodgers said: ‘We just wanted to have an opportunity after this evening to have it in our own hands and, thankfully, that’s the way it’s worked out. You can only look after your own result. ‘The other game’s result obviously helps us. We’ll go into the last game going to win the game. ‘It’s very hard to go and just play for a draw. We’re playing a good side, but we want to use the whole Celtic Park experience and the atmosphere to push us over the line. ‘It will be a fantastic demonstration of what the Celtic support is about and that synergy between them and the team. ‘It’s been a great learning campaign for us again. We came here knowing we had to win and to see the players playing with that pressure and that level of control was very, very pleasing. That, along with the result, makes it a really good night for us. I’m pleased with the result and even more with the performance. ‘To play to that level technically, it was a good insight for me into the team, their calmness and their confidence and how they all connected. ‘They were pressing the game and with their ability, technically, they showed their talent when they had the ball to take opportunities and control the game. It was very, very good.’ Celtic took the unusual step of staying in Norway last night as part of their recovery for Sunday’s Betfred Cup final against Aberdeen at Hampden. Mikael Lustig, James Forrest — creator of the winning goal — and Odsonne Edouard were all taken off in precautionary measures as Rodgers goes for a seventh straight domestic trophy. ‘Yeah, there were a few of the boys we just needed to protect,’ he said. ‘Mika had a bit of a dead leg, so it was just a precaution with him and James. With Odsonne being our only really fit striker — with Griff (Leigh Griffiths) just coming back — our plan was to give him 65 minutes and give some game-time to one or two of the other boys. I think the injuries will be fine. There were a few of the boys we needed to protect.’ Claiming his fifth goal of the season with a firm header from a pinpoint Forrest cross, match-winner Sinclair (above) welcomed the opportunity to finish the job in two weeks’ time. ‘Jamesy (Forrest) has been exceptional, he put it straight on to my head and I couldn’t miss really,’ said the Englishman. ‘We created chances and should have scored more goals, but we’ll take the 1-0 and it’s great we have kept performing, kept creating chances, and thankfully one has gone in. ‘It’s up to us now. We only need a draw, but we’ll go out to win it and it has the potential to be a really great night. ‘I don’t know if them (Salzburg) having qualified already will make a difference. It might do and it might not. We’ll just focus on ourselves. ‘We can’t worry about what they are thinking, we just have to go out and play our normal game.’ Hailing Sinclair’s winner, Rodgers added: ‘It was a great bit of skill by James to stand it up at the back post and it’s a perfect ball for an attacking player to go and get his head on. It ended up in the back of the net and was a good finish.’