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Rosenborg vs Celtic a few quick thoughts

  • Celtic fans who made the journey to Norway will no doubt be nursing sore heads this morning after a (expensive) night on the beers
  • To be fair win or lose they would have been on the booze but there was certainly reason to celebrate last night as Brendan Rodgers’ men progressed to the play-off round of the Champions League
  • The Glasgow outfit go into tomorrow’s draw by virtue of a slender 1-0 win over Rosenborg last night
  • James Forrest was the hero of the hour after his second half strike not only put the hoops ahead but also gave them that crucial away goal
  • The first 45 minutes were not too dissimilar to that of the first leg as there was very little incident to report on
  • The only real thing of note in the opening half was the injury to Celtic’s Erik Sviatchenko
  • After missing the first leg through injury the defender would only last 24 minutes before having to be subbed off
  • Although frustrating to lose a player that early it also meant that Brendan Rodgers had to use one of his subs earlier than he would have liked, therefore giving him one less option later in the game
  • Of the few chances that there were in the first half, Celtic had the better of them but they still failed to break down what was now proving to be a very stubborn Rosenborg resistance
  • Celtic were going to have to roll the dice after the restart and they still their ace to play off the bench
  • That came in the shape of Leigh Griffiths
  • The former Hibs man missed the first leg due to suspension and there were doubts as to whether he would feature in this tie also due to a calf injury
  • Although not quite fit enough to play from the start he was thrust into the game soon after the restart and his presence undoubtedly gave the Scottish champions a lift
  • His addition to the attack gave Celtic more of a focal point as James Forrest who is usually deployed as a winger was started up front
  • He had already put in a solid if not spectacular shift up front before Griffiths’ arrival on the pitch but it would be he who would end up grabbing the headlines
  • After a neat run from Scott Sinclair, Forrest found himself in possession on the right hand side of the box
  • At first it looked like as if his touch was too heavy with the ball edging away from him
  • But out of nowhere he thrashed the ball past Rosenborg’s Hansen and left the goalkeeper rooted to the spot as it clipped the frame of the goal and bounced into the net
  • Celtic had the breakthrough they were looking for and now Rosenborg had to score twice
  • This drew the Norwegian champions out and opened the game out quite considerably but try as they might they could not break down the resolve of Celtic
  • Brendan Rodgers’ men were now very much in the box seat and they managed to withstand every thing that was thrown at them in the last 2o minutes or so
  • And with that they are not just two matches away from reaching the hallowed turf of the Champions League group stages
  • They like us will be waiting patiently for the draw to see who they will be pitted against
  • They will be one of the seeded teams and will be paired with one of the following
  • Qarabag
  • Astana
  • Rijeka
  • Hapoel Be-er Sheva
  • Slavia Prague
  • Fate is in their hands

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