Superb Celtic put group stage within reach
● Five-star show as Rodgers’ rampant side make light work of Astana
Celtic placed one foot firmly – and surely immovably – in the group stage of the Champions League as they enjoyed one of their most comprehensive victories in the normally fraught play-off round of the tournament.
Brendan Rodgers’ side took full advantage of an evening when everything fell in their favour against an Astana side who had been expected to provide them with no shortage of problems.
Instead, the trip to Kazakhstan for next Tuesday’s second leg should be little more than a formality for Celtic after Evgeni Postnikov’s own goal, a double from Scott Sinclair and late strikes from James Forrest and an own goal by Igor Shitov gave them a commanding first-leg lead.
As accustomed as Celtic and their supporters have become to these occasions, the levels of tension that surround them in the build-up seldom diminish. With so much at stake so early in their season, this can never be anything less than a fraught experience for followers of the Scottish champions.
Rodgers, pictured, however, has undoubtedly brought a calmness and composure to the mentality of his squad which has given them the knack of securing results as positive as this one. Before some of those nerves among the crowd were settled by a 2-0 half-time lead which Rodgers would have eagerly accepted as the final result beforehand, there was enough in Astana’s performance to initially suggest this could be as awkward as any of the assignments Celtic have faced in their annual battle to reach the group stage.
Postnikov, destined to be a key figure in the drama which unfolded, put himself under early pressure with a cynical foul on Tom Rogic which earned him a caution with just six minutes played. Celtic pursued an early goal with trademark intensity and both Sinclair and Leigh Griffiths wasted fine opportunities to provide it. The winger miscued a shot wide from close range after a free-kick broke kindly to him, then Griffiths guided a free header wide of Aleksandr Mokin’s left-hand post after being picked out by a perfect Forrest cross.
After weathering that initial burst of Celtic pressure, Astana grew into the contest and began to frustrate the hosts with some assured and intelligent possession. Scott Brown was fortunate to escape a booking for a foul on Patrick Twumasi which mirrored Postnikov’s earlier offence. Twumasi posed a clear threat to Celtic and it was the Ghanaian who registered the visitors’ first attempt at goal, cutting inside from the right to fire a shot narrowly wide. An error from Jozo Simunovic then presented Serikhzhan Muzhikov with an opportunity but his effort was comfortably held by Craig Gordon. As Celtic tried to reassert themselves, Griffiths was unfortunate to be flagged offside as he broke clear and lobbed the ball over Mokin into the net.
The Astana ‘keeper was beaten in the 32nd minute, however, as Celtic struck the crucial first blow in the tie. Rogic, with a run into the penalty area reminiscent of the one which saw him score the treble-clinching Scottish Cup winner at Hampden in May, fired the ball in from a similarly tight angle on the right. In a desperate effort to cut out the danger, Postnikov could only help the ball into his own net.
To Astana’s credit, they appeared relatively unfazed by the setback and almost equalised just two minutes later. It was a glorious opportunity for Postnikov to atone for his error but the Russian defender sent his free header from Muzhikov’s cross wide of Gordon’s right-hand post.
It was clear Astana would not be easily discouraged but their heads did drop for the first time when Sinclair’s precious strike doubled Celtic’s lead three minutes before half-time. His pace allowed him to find room behind the Astana defence on the right and he drilled a shot across the body of Mokin whose slight touch on the ball could not prevent it nestling in the far corner. If there was a sense the scoreline flattered Celtic to some extent, that was of no concern to Rodgers’ players or a jubilant support who were already savouring the prospect of seeing their club take a place among Europe’s elite once again in the coming months.
That probability moved closer to inevitability when Celtic added their third goal 15 minutes into a frantically contested second half. They benefited from Romanian referee Ovidiu Hategan’s
decision to allow play to continue after a sickening clash of heads between Rogic and Yuri Logvinenko left both players flat out on the turf.
The ball broke in Celtic’s favour with Griffiths showing good awareness to set Sinclair free inside the penalty area where the winger slotted another fine finish low beyond Mokin.
Celtic were forced to replace the groggy Rogic with Callum Mcgregor while Logvinenko, booked by the official for his part in the head clash, also staggered off to be replaced by Abzal Beysebekov.
Any lingering possibility that Celtic may yet be susceptible to a remarkable turnaround in next week’s second leg were surely swept aside when they made it 4-0 with 11 minutes remaining. Olivier Ntcham, who had impressed throughout, was the architect with a delightful through ball to Griffiths. He in turn fed Forrest who beat Mokin from a tight angle.
Griffiths’ goal after 88 minutes was later officially credited as an own goal for Shitov but that will only be a minor irritation for Griffiths on a hugely satisfying night for Celtic.