The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Greg Taylor heads in his first goal for Celtic in last night’s 6-0 win over KR Reykjavik in the Champions League qualifier at Celtic Park.
QUALIFIER: Hoops show no mercy as Icelandic visitors are blown away
Celtic routed KR Reykjavik 6-0 in a desperately one-sided Champions League first qualifying round clash at Parkhead last night.
In a one-legged tie played behind closed doors, Neil Lennon’s side showed the Icelandic outfit no mercy.
Attacker Mohamed Elyounoussi broke the deadlock after only seven minutes and striker Odsonne Edouard pressured defender Arnor Adalsteinsson into an own goal before defender Christopher Jullien headed in a third just after the half-hour mark.
Left-back Greg Taylor helped himself to his first Celtic goal early in the second half and Edouard flashed in a fifth with Elyounoussi grabbing his second in added time to put the seal on a performance that offered no prospect of a shock.
The Hoops will host Hungarian side Ferencvaros or Djurgardens of Sweden in the second qualifier next week.
With no fans allowed inside the stadium due to coronavirus restrictions, it was a far-from-normal European night in the east end of Glasgow.
The home side made two changes to the side that drew with Kilmarnock nine days ago, with defenders Nir Bitton and Hatem Abd Elhamed replacing Kristoffer Ajer and Jeremie Frimpong.
Albian Ajeti, the Swiss striker recently signed from West Ham, started on the bench where he watched his new team-mates quickly put the Icelandic champions under pressure.
Within minutes keeper Beitir Olafsson had saved a close-range header from Edouard, following a Taylor cross.
However, the keeper looked less convincing when Jullien played a ball over the top and Elyounoussi slipped it into the net.
Edouard had another couple of attempts on goal before Adalsteinsson, fighting to prevent the Frenchman from getting on the end of an Elhamed cutback, turned the ball into his own net.
Olafsson made further saves from Elyounoussi and James Forrest but when Jullien powered in a header from a Ryan Christie corner it looked ominous for the visitors.
Olafsson kept out efforts from Christie and Elyounoussi, twice, and defender Kennie Chopart blocked an Edouard shot on the line.
The visitors almost snatched a goal just before the interval when striker Kristjan Floki Finnbogason tested Hoops keeper Vasilis Barkas with a decent drive from the edge of the box.
Celtic flexed their muscles again at the start of the second half and Taylor netted with a back-post header from an Elhamed cross.
Kristinsson’s side kept plugging away but in the 71st minute some neat footwork inside the box took Edouard past three defenders before a decisive finish and he and Christie were immediately replaced by debutant Ajeti and Patryk Klimala.
Understandably, Celtic eased off in the final stages and KR Reykjavik’s Palmi Rafn Palmason had the ball in the net only for the offside flag to be correctly raised.
Elyounoussi slid in a sixth from a pass from Olivier Ntcham in added time.