The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Away goal ‘priceless’, says Lennon
Neil Lennon was delighted by last night’s result in Transylvania and feels his team are now well-placed to reach the play-offs.
Mario Rondon drew first blood for the hosts when he slotted home just before the half-hour mark but Lennon’s team return to Glasgow packing a vital away goal after James Forrest quickly cancelled out the opener.
“It’s a great result,” the Northern Irishman said. “The away goal is priceless for us.
“The guys will be a match fitter for it.
“You could see at the end some of them were starting to struggle with the heat.
“It’s been a tough game but a great night’s work and we’re looking forward to the second leg.
“I was delighted with our attacking play and we looked really dangerous early on. Maybe our final ball just let us down a little bit but I always felt we’d have the capability of scoring.
“They scored a great goal on the counter but our reaction was superb.”
Captain Scott Brown told Sportsound: “CFR Cluj are very, very direct. I think we dealt with that.
“We came away from home, we got the result we were looking for.
“Overall, I think we’ve done really well. We got that away goal that we were looking for.”
Cluj manager Dan Petrescu refused to give up on the tie, saying on Sportsound: “We were unlucky not to win.
“I’m not happy with the result but I’m happy with the performance. We played better than we expect. We missed two unbelievable chances.
“Celtic have the tradition, the fans, the players. Of course they have the advantage but you never know.”