The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Gordon says Anderlecht win highly significant
Hopes raised of European football after Christmas
Craig Gordon believes Celtic took a big step towards securing European football after Christmas with their 3-0 win over Anderlecht in Brussels on Wednesday.
The Hoops lost 5-0 at home to bigspending Paris St Germain in their Champions League opener, with the Belgian outfit going down 3-0 to Group B’s other superpower Bayern Munich.
Those results only confirmed the belief that the battle for third place and a Europa League spot was between the Scottish Champions and Anderlecht, and the Parkhead goalkeeper pointed to the significance of Wednesday’s win.
“That gives us a massive opportunity now,” he told a number of broadcasters. “It is a great result. It means a lot to us. “We didn’t create that many chances, but we stuck away the ones we did manage to make so it is a great night’s work and, as the group progresses, I am sure it will turn out to be a very significant one.
“We probably didn’t expect 3-0 going into the game.
“We still felt we could have played better, but a 3-0 victory away from home is more than satisfying.”
It was the first time Celtic had kept a clean sheet away from home in the Champions League – indeed it was only their second away win in the tournament – and the Scotland keeper praised his back four and central defenders Jozo Simunovic and Dedryck Boyata in particular.
Gordon said: “We had to work for it at times, but the guys in front of me were brilliant.
“The two centre-halves dealt with most things that came their way, they were really solid together and they helped us keep the ball at times which kept us in control of the game.
“They were outstanding, they really stood up to the test.
“We were always going to have to defend away from home, but we restricted them to few opportunities.”
Celtic face a double header against Bayern next and Gordon insists the win over Anderlecht has eased the pressure.
Meanwhile, Celtic have received planning permission in principle for a hotel and museum development next to their stadium. Celtic unveiled the plans, which also include a ticket office and retail store, in February. The hotel would be on London Road, outside the main stand of Celtic Park.