Real Football Man All of the Football, All of the time
Celtic are through to the Champions League Play Off Round in dramatic circumstances thanks to a 90th minute penalty last night at Celtic Park. After the scores were tied at 1-1 all from the first leg, it was looking like being exactly the same with the game subsequently set for Extra Time. But when Celtic were rewarded with a second spot kick of the night they didn’t turn down the golden opportunity and they now await Friday’s Play Off Round draw. Ousmane Dembele was the hero as he slotted home the late penalty, that was after Leigh Griffiths was on hand to give them the lead before Agim Ibraimi levelled on the night and the tie but it was Brendan Rodgers side who nicked it late on to send the Celtic faithful into delirium.
The biggest headline though was Dundalk’s sensational 3-0 win their second leg against BATE Borisov. The Belorussian side are usual qualifiers for the Champions League proper but they won’t be participating this year as they were blown away by the Irish champions. There is now every opportunity that they could meet Celtic in the play off round.
In the League Route, Ajax won 2-1 in Salonika to move past PAOK while Shakhtar Donetsk have been dumped out by Swiss side Young Boys. Shakhtar giving away a 2-0 lead from the first leg and then going on to lose on penalties. The other key result there saw Monaco overturn a first leg deficit to edge past Fenerbahce 4-3 on aggregate.
Here are all the results from the last two nights:
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champions Route | |||||
Rosenborg  |
2–4 |  APOEL |
2–1 | 0–3 | |
Dinamo Zagreb  |
3–0 |  Dinamo Tbilisi |
2–0 | 1–0 | |
Olympiacos  |
0–1 |  Hapoel Be’er Sheva |
0–0 | 0–1 | |
Astana  |
2–3 |  Celtic |
1–1 | 1–2 | |
Trenčín  |
0–1 |  Legia Warsaw |
0–1 | 0–0 | |
Viktoria Plzeň  |
1–1 (a) |  Qarabağ |
0–0 | 1–1 | |
Astra Giurgiu  |
1–4 |  Copenhagen |
1–1 | 0–3 | |
BATE Borisov  |
1–3 |  Dundalk |
1–0 | 0–3 | |
Ludogorets Razgrad  |
6–4 |  Red Star Belgrade |
2–2 | 4–2 (a.e.t.) | |
Partizani Tirana  |
0–3 |  Red Bull Salzburg |
0–1 | 0–2 | |
| League Route | |||||
Ajax  |
3–2 | PAOK |
1–1 | 2–1 | |
| Sparta Prague |
1–3 | Steaua București |
1–1 | 0–2 | |
Shakhtar Donetsk  |
2–2 (2–4 p) |  Young Boys |
2–0 | 0–2 (a.e.t.) | |
Rostov  |
4–2 |  Anderlecht |
2–2 | 2–0 | |
Fenerbahçe  |
3–4 |  Monaco |
2–1 | 1–3 | |
