Champions on cruise control as Morgan springs a surprise
When Celtic set out on their journey in Rennes, perhaps not even their manager would have foreseen the ease by which his players would prevail as winners of the section.
With the Ligue 1 side going into that match off the back of a recent win over PSG, and with Serie A giants Lazio also in the group along with Cluj, the side that had knocked them out of the Champions League, qualifying seemed a tall order. To do it in such a fashion would have seemed fanciful.
In the end though, they coasted through as group winners with a game to spare, picking up historic back-toback wins over Lazio, and Neil Lennon now has the luxury of resting players for the trip to Cluj. He even did it during the game, with captain Scott Brown getting a rare breather.
Lennon will also be hugely satisfied with the level of performance his team are churning out week after week.
The many detractors of the decision to reappoint Lennon will surely have reconsidered their own positions now.
The first time Celtic supporters got a proper glimpse of what Greg Taylor was capable of since his move to the club came in Scotland’s matches against Cyprus and Kazakhstan, with the full-back striking up an instant rapport with club teammate Forrest down the left.
They showed that understanding again in the win over Livingston last weekend, and starting together here, they were a real threat once more. The one-touch play that led to the opening goal was a case in point, with Taylor quickly shunting the ball down the line to Forrest, who in turn cut it back for Morgan to finish.
Something about these European nights seems to bring out the best in the big keeper.
He was hardly overworked here, but he showed his worth with an incredible point-blank save from Romain Del Castillo in the second half, and then got the fortune he deserved with Theoson Siebatcheu hitting the post with the rebound.
He followed that up with another impressive save from Christ-Emmanuel Maouassa and was blameless for the late Adrien Hunou goal.