Rodgers hails Griffiths
● Striker steps off bench to dig Celtic out of a hole with late header as Rodgers’ side secure landmark win over Rosenborg
Brendan Rodgers praised Leigh Griffiths for seizing his opportunity after the striker earned Celtic a winning start to their Europa League group stage campaign, writes Stephen Halliday.
Griffiths, who had been in court earlier in the day where he was found guilty of a speeding charge, struck the winner against Rosenborg in the 87th minute.
That ensured Celtic did not fall off the early pace in Group b where top seeds red Bull Salzburg scored in stoppage time to win 3-2 against RB Leipzig in Germany. Next up for Celtic in the group is a trip to Austria to face Salzburg on 4 October.
Celtic manager Rodgers insists he is content to keep trying to get the best out of Griffiths, regardless of his off the field issues.
“It’s part and parcel of what Leigh is,” said Rodgers. “He’s a great boy and we all love him. I love working with him. He is vital to this squad, whether he is on the bench or starting. He loves this club. “What we know with Leigh is he can score goals. You fancy him to take a chance and it was the only one he had. He anticipated the ball in the box and it was a great finish.”
too often were unable to find the tempo necessary to make it count. There was an anxious moment for the hosts in the 15th minute when Issam Jebali outpaced Mikael Lustig down the left and burst into the area. The Tunisian winger went down as Lustig scrambled back to cover the threat but Rosenborg’s claims for a penalty were correctly turned down by Polish referee Pawel Gil who booked Jebali for simulation.
Seven minutes later, Celtic finally posted their first serious attempt at goal when Kieran Tierney forced a corner on the left. Callum Mcgregor swung it in to find Filip Benkovic at the far post but the onloan Leicester City defender’s header was comfortably held by Andre Hansen.
It kick-started Celtic’s first sustained period of pressure on the Rosenborg goal and Odsonne Edouard might have done better than blaze a shot over from around 12 yards after he had been played in by Tom Rogic’s through ball.
Tierney and Mcgregor then linked superbly to set Olivier Ntcham free on the left side of the penalty area but the French midfielder’s low cross was cut out by the alert figure of Anders Konradsen.
Having talked up the Europa League so passionately in the build-up to the match, Tierney matched his words with the commitment of his work. The left-back was Celtic’s biggest attacking threat and he whipped an inviting ball right across the six-yard box only to find none of his team-mates had reacted quickly enough to get on the end of it.
Tierney continued to try to drive Celtic on, fizzing in a low shot from 22 yards which Hansen gathered. Three minutes before half-time, the Rosenborg keeper defied Celtic with a superb double save.
Tierney was the source of the move once more, finding Rogic just inside the area. The Australian playmaker’s first shot was blocked before his follow-up effort was parried low to his right by Hansen. The ball broke to Edouard on the corner of the six-yard box but the striker drove his shot too close to Hansen who was able to divert it on to his right-hand post and behind for a corner.
Rosenborg were forced into a change on the stroke of half-time with the influential Konradsen limping off to be replaced by Marius Lundemo but there was no doubt the visitors were the more content as they headed into the dressing room.
Celtic looked to up the pace, as they clearly needed to, after the break and Rogic wasted a glorious opportunity to make the breakthrough when he pounced on Lundemo’s error and surged clear through the middle. He had the choice of passes to Edouard or Mcgregor either side of him but opted to attempt a shot himself which he could only direct straightatthegratefulhansen.
Rodgers decided a double change was in order as the stalemate continued, introducing Scott Sinclair and Mikey Johnston for Rogic and Forrest just before the hour mark. The substitutes almost made a dramatic impact, young winger Johnston’s cross from the right picking out Sinclair who volleyed just wide of Hansen’s right-hand post.
Rodgers made his final switch, Edouard making way for Griffiths who duly seized his chance to make a crucial impact. With 87 minutes on the clock, Scott Brown’s long ball was nodded on by Boyata for the Scotland striker to steer a header beyond Hansen from close range.