Celtic solved their biggest problem in win vs Slovan Bratislava

Celtic started the game as expected, on the front foot. They could not make the most of a couple of early chances before Liam Scales found the opener. Overall, it was a solid first-half display from Brendan Rodgers' side, as they looked sharp and opened up the Slovan Bratislava defence on a number of occasions.

If there is one complaint that they would have had going into the break, it is that they did not make the most of the chances that they had. Kyogo could not make the most of a couple of good opportunities and the same can be said about Daizen Maeda. There were a few other half chances as well.

That is a problem that Celtic have faced in the Champions League for the last couple of years now. They just can't seem to put games to bed.

Celtic made sure that they quickly rectified their mistakes from the first half after the break. Kyogo scored in the 47th minute to put the Hoops 2-0 up and the goals did not stop coming after that.

Celtic solved their biggest Champions League problem in win against Slovan Bratislava

It did not take long for the third to come. Alistair Johnston won a penalty and just like at the weekend against Hearts, Arne Engels converted calmly from the spot. Celtic have faced problems in the past, finding a reliable penalty-taker. They might have finally found their man in the Belgian midfielder.

But as has been the case so many times in Europe in the past, a mistake at the back from Celtic allowed Slovan Bratislava a way back into the game. Considering how good the Hoops have been defensively this season, that was a major disappointment.

This time around, they had an answer. Reo Hatate did some brilliant work to send Maeda through on goal and this time around, the Japanese forward made no mistake and slotted the ball past the Slovan Bratislava goalkeeper to make it 4-1 to Celtic.

Adam Idah was the next to get in on the act, scoring Celtic's fifth of the night with a tidy finish. James Forrest deserves immense credit for his weighted through ball to the Irish striker, which was pretty much perfect.

That was that for the night, a 5-1 win for Celtic. A nice return gift for Slovan Bratislava manager, Vladimir Weiss, who had masterminded a 5-0 win over the Hoops a couple of decades ago, back when he was in charge of FC Artmedia.

The five goals would have come as a relief for Rodgers. The Northern Irishman finally saw his side take their chances at this level. Hopefully, it is a sign of things to come in the Champions League.

Celtic fans have not had the chance to see their side win too often in the Champions League in recent years. So, they will definitely enjoy one by a significant margin.