MAGIC JOHNSTON

Rocket fires Hoops right back into the tie before a second-half stroll puts Lenny’s men on easy street

ONE Frenchman might be in the doghouse as he works his ticket out the door.

Mercifully, Celtic have another one who is more interested in trying to work the club’s ticket back into th e group stages of the Champions League.

With Olivier Ntcham getting ready for a flea in the ear from Neil Lennon, countryman Odsonne Edouard was earning a pat on the back from the gaffer with another big goal.

The

Frenchman’s cultured second- half strike backed up a moment of sheer magic from Mikey Johnston which got this qualifying campaign up and running.

Th e 2 0 - ye a r - o l d is being tipped for a big season . If l ast night’s contribution is anything to go by, it will indeed be something special.

Johnston’s spectacular int er vention l ai d th e platform for Edouard and then sub Scott Sinclair to seal the deal. Celtic had to work for it though and suffer for a spell before they succeeded. The first half hour was dodg y. Scott Bain needed to stand big and make a one-on-one save – he did so to clear away the danger and Jozo Simunovic tidied the mess.

Uncertainty was creeping in and it cost Celtic dearly just before the half hour.

Slobodan Milanovic’s corner wasn’t cleared and Mirko Oremus crashed home the loose ball.

Howe Ho w e v e r, o n ly six s i x minutes had elapsed when Johnston produced his exhilarating moment. He got a break in the lead-up, but the rightfoot finish from 25 yards was absolutely brilliant.

The interval may have come at a bad time for Celtic, yet they were right on it from the restart and effectively won the tie.

Scott Brown pinched possession and his pass into James Forrest was popped off first time into the path of Edouard. The French striker comes alive in those situations and he put two defenders on the deck before caressing a delightful finish over keeper Vladan Kovacevic into the net.

Late on, Lewis Morgan’s clever work on the flank engineered an opportunity for Sinclair and the Englishman’s finish with a deft backheel was splendid.

Celtic will face tougher tests but for now it’s a case of job done.