Celtic didn’t get off on the right foot last year in the Champions League qualifiers. That wasn’t going to happen again if Brendan Rodgers had anything to say about it.
That wasn’t lost on the manager following his team’s beat down of Linfield 2-0 at Windsor Park.
"“It was better than last year in terms of the first game,” said Rodgers, referring to Celtic’s 1-0 defeat by Lincoln Red Imps of Gibraltar at the same stage of the tournament 12 months ago.“I thought Roy Carroll was brilliant, he made some incredible saves, it could have been five or six. It could have been a really difficult game for us but in the main we dealt well with it."
It took just a few minutes for Celtic to look dangerous, but it wasn’t until the 17th minute that Celtic broke through to score. The Bhoys took a 1-0 lead as James Forrest played a nice ball in the box and Sinclair was able to just get his head on the ball.
Sinclair’s celebration was muted, but Celtic fans rejoiced in his ultimate revenge over fans who engaged in racism earlier this week. Racist banners were seen put on bonfires that were to be lit ahead of the Orange Order marches on the 12th of July.
Celtic continued to probe and it paid off with multiple opportunities. However, it was a corner kick just five minutes after Sinclair’s opener that produced results. Tom Rogic got on the end of a Leigh Griffiths corner and slotted a cheeky one home.
It was pure dominance from the Bhoys on the day. They tested Linfield keeper Roy Carroll (who I can’t believe is still playing football) time and again, pouring in X shots on goal for the day.
Celtic enjoyed nearly 80 percent of the possession as well.
The match wasn’t without incident as the “Brothers in Arms” of Sevco decided to show their ugly side. Leigh Griffiths was hit with multiple missiles from the stands while attempting a corner kick in the second half.
Somehow Griffiths received a Yellow Card from the ref as well…you know, for refusing to be pelted by the home supporters. But, that is likely nothing new given the wonderful nature of Scottish officiating over the years. Even on the European stage, refs can be shockingly bad.
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Things remained chippy until the end, when Stuart Armstrong had enough of Linfield’s brutal tackling on the day. Once again, refAlejandro José Hernández Hernández missed a clear foul, allowing for the play to continue and never addressing the situation once the ball had been lost.
A minute later, Armstrong was done in from behind and this time he took matters in to his own hands. His shove and resulting scuffle made Armstrong take a yellow card. It was a move Rodgers would question after the match.
“I asked the fourth official, but he couldn’t really explain,” said Rodgers, via the BBC.
“It happens (missiles being thrown) in other grounds, it’s not just here. It’s not ideal in any situation, you don’t want that to happen in any ground.”
Between Griffiths and Armstrong’s yellow cards, it presents an interesting situation for Rodgers in the return leg. Does he rest both, knowing they have a two-goal lead and both coming away? Or does he stick to the normal pattern.
As for the rest of the match, Celtic ran away with the action and easily could’ve had four or five more goals to really hammer home the point. But, with a tie coming on Wednesday in the reverse fixture, perhaps saving some goals for the home leg would be helpful as well.
Celtic know they have a cushion, but judging by the peppering of Roy Carroll’s goal in this one, don’t expect them to lay off. This could be a huge statement as they look to take on the winner of Dundalk and Rosenborg in the next round.