2016-07-20: Celtic 3-0 Lincoln Red Imps, European Cup

Match Pictures | Matches: 2016 – 2017 | 2016-17 Pictures

Trivia

• European Cup; Champions League 2016-17
• Second Qualifying Round, 2nd Leg
• First Leg (1-0 to Red Imps), Agg (3-1 to Celtic) and Celtic are through.
• 3-5-2 formation used, Rodgers seems to be flexible when it comes to formations. It paid off but a couple of chances for Red Imps this game.
• Ambrose fully dropped from squad after last poor game, Biton out with injury etc. Roberts returns to 1st XI.
• Support a little tense after the disastrous result after the first leg. League title flag raised. New Terracing area was jumping, and people outwith are noticing. Could be a starter to introduction elsewhere.
• Celtic to play Astana in Kakakhstan in the next match.
• League title flag raised before the game by Rosemary Burns.
• First competitive home game of the season, usually done at first league game of the season but for some reason we're playing away first! Answers on a postcard…
• Britain has a new PM after Theresa May wins unopposed in final run-in party vote to replace David Cameron. Labour party in turmoil.
• Some again calling for a second IndyRef.
• Celtic still after Aston Villa striker Scott Sinclair acc to papers. June bid was knocked back by the English 2nd tier club.
• Swedish Celtic fan Henrik Stenson wins a golf Master, the ‘Open’ in Scotland in Troon. Congratulations. Henrik Larsson is his hero and we’re sure he was proud of him in return.
• Ex-Celt Tony Watt has signed for Hearts (on loan). We wish him the best (except against us), he has talent but has been his own worst enemy at times (youth!).

Review

(JBC of KDS)
So what were we all worried about then? The first game was understandably labelled as one of our worst ever results, but as there were two legs to this one we had a second bite and mostly cruised it.

A first half of dominance from the get go, the only thing that didn't generate a basketball score for Celtic was the performance of the opposition goalkeeper for whom a very good word must be given.

Beyond that, three good goals from Celtic after a tense 20 mins, and then a mostly second gear second half. Question marks? Brown possibly who isn't impressing, and are Celtic's set pieces still poor?

The side is evolving but the next round is up fast next week.

(Beaumont of KDS)
good points were roberts who was outstanding in the first half and decent the second, dembele starting to link with griffiths was encouraging and brown was way better than he has been(no pun intended)

stuff that needs improved is we need someone who can pass from central midfield. mcgregor was ok but armstrong less so, desperately need another centre half

stuff i would have done differently- in last 20-25 mins i would have brought on janko instead of izzy as it was crying out for someone to overlap roberts to allow him more space and i would have brought on christie not ciftci for last sub as we learned nothing new from it


(Arsene P of KDS)
We're through easily enough. Should have scored more.
Imps were organised, determined and an example of how a decently organised setup can frustrate the best of teams most of the time. They also gave it a go, so fair play to them for attitude and they weren't as bad as people have said they are. A decent Championship team.

Rogers still needs to find his first eleven quickly.
I said during the first game that the starting line up in Gibraltar would not qualify for the CL. I stand by that and at least he's addressing the issues that are obvious, but still not convinced we're much different from last season.

The players have the same deficiencies and changing the system won't change their ability.
It seems Rogers likes shorter passes to avoid giving the ball away cheaply and that relies on players with the ability to control the ball and lay off quickly.

At times it's still too laborious to break down the likes of last night's opposition.

If we're going to play with two wingers/wing-backs they need to be able to track back better than they do and help out the back three.
3-5-2 must become 5-4-1 or at least 4-5-1 when defending, and we still look lightweight which means who plays there will be crucial.

Needs work defensively to be ready for better attacking teams.
We need a commanding central defender that isn't pish and doesn't get injured with two decent ball playing defenders in either side, and two wing backs who can defend too.

Crossing from corners, free-licks and open play is generally pish so needs work if we're to exploit using wing men, otherwise why bother? It just becomes repetitive.
-Down the wing, only one person in the box with 4 or 5 defenders and a keeper, no option other than to stop, pass backwards or inside.
-Down the wing, pish cross easily caught or defended
-Down the wing, get tackled, don't track back, opposition has a chance to do something.

Having said that, the times when it comes together look good, but we still haven't got rid of the pre-season rustiness, so hopefully it all picks up day by day. The "friendlies" should allow BR to work on things, but the CL is the be all and end all just now and these qualifiers do not give me any "start of new season excitement" at all.

As we all know, we now do our pre-season build up trying to qualify for Europe, when we should already have qualified for Europe based on the fact that we're Champions of our country and the way the transfer market works now, it's unlikely we'll attract the players required to make qualification less stressful.

Anyway, on to Kazakhstan, mid-afternoon kick off on a plastic pitch in high temperatures, with little support.
Back here in a fortnight for 90 more minutes of tension unless it all clicks and we get an unexpected away result.

Great crowd last night by the way. Keep it up.

Teams

Celtic

Substitutes

• 3 Izaguirre
• 7 Ciftci
• 17 Christie
• 18 Rogic
• 22 Janko
• 35 Ajer
• 38 Fasan

Goals

• Lustig (23' minutes),
• Griffiths (26' minutes),
• Roberts (29' minutes)

Lincoln Red Imps FC

Substitutes

• 4Bardon
• 11Cabrera
• 12Torilla
• 13Soler Ortuño
• 16Rojas
• 18Chipolina
• 86Amaro Livramento

Articles

• Match Report (see end of page below)

Pictures

• Match Pictures

Forum

• Pre-match http://kerrydalestreet.co.uk/topic/9303951/
• Match http://kerrydalestreet.co.uk/topic/9304746/
• Post Match http://kerrydalestreet.co.uk/topic/9304785/

MOTM

• Voting Thread http://kerrydalestreet.co.uk/topic/9304766/
• Result Thread
• Winner –

Stats

Attempts on target

Articles

BBC
Celtic made short work of Gibraltarian part-timers Lincoln Red Imps to book a Champions League third qualifying round tie with Astana of Kazakhstan.
Three goals in six first-half minutes swiftly overturned the 1-0 deficit from last week's shock first-leg result.
Mikael Lustig swivelled to notch the opener before Leigh Griffiths cut inside to lash home the second.

Patrick Roberts swept home a fine third but Moussa Dembele and Griffiths, twice, missed further good chances.
But that impressive first-half performance was enough to get the job done and settle any lingering nerves.
New Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers was desperate to exorcise the ghost of Gibraltar and almost 50,000 fans packed into Celtic Park expecting his side to do just that.
A repeat of the sensational shock on the Rock was simply unthinkable.
The evening started with the unfurling of the SPFL Premiership league title flag but as the cheers died down, last season was forgotten and attention turned to Champions League progression.
As expected, Celtic came out swinging from the start and looked very much in the mood, roared on by the home support.

Mikael Lustig swivels to score Celtic's first goal
Mikael Lustig's opening goal settled any lingering Celtic nerves
The part-timers held out for 23 minutes, Stuart Armstrong seeing a shot saved and Callum McGregor's deflected effort hitting the bar.
But two quick-fire goals from Lustig and Griffiths settled nerves and put Celtic in command of the tie.
The Swedish international curled in a left-footed shot from around 10 yards before Griffiths – scorer of 40 goals last season – opened his account for this campaign with an impressive strike from the edge of the box after being played in by the impressive Roberts.
Minutes later, after sumptuous build-up play and a one-two with McGregor, the on-loan winger floated in from the right and fired in a fantastic third.
Lincoln's first-leg hero Lee Casciaro raised a few eyebrows early in the second half when he caught Erik Sviatchenko napping and stabbed the ball just past Craig Gordon's right-hand post.
The visitors were enjoying a little more of the ball, but rarely threatened to create further chances.
Celtic's first-half pace and drive gave way to a more considered approach after the interval, but the fans urged them on desperate for more goals.
Raul Navas in the Lincoln goal was determined to keep it respectable though and he twice denied Dembele from close range, while Griffiths headed over an inviting ball from Lustig.
Rodgers shuffled his pack, bringing on Kristoffer Ajer, Emillio Izaguirre and later Nadir Ciftci as the tempo slowed.
Navas was at it again with five minutes left, this time frustrating Griffiths, who should have scored from eight yards out when through on the keeper.
If victory was perhaps not enough to erase the painful memory of the first-leg defeat, it was sufficient to take them comfortably through.
And for Rodgers, that will do just fine.

Celtic 3 – 0 Lincoln Red Imps (3-1 agg): Rapid-fire treble secures passage
http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/teams/celtic/celtic-3-0-lincoln-red-imps-3-1-agg-rapid-fire-treble-secures-passage-1-4182607
By
STEPHEN HALLIDAY

Published: 21:37 Wednesday 20 July 2016
Celtic scorers: Lustig 23, Griffiths 25, Roberts 29
THREE first half goals in a frenetic seven-minute spell ensured last week’s demeaning defeat in Gibraltar did not contribute to an incalculably damaging exit from European football for Celtic.
The rapid fire strikes from Mikael Lustig, Leigh Griffiths and the impressive Patrick Roberts wiped out the 1-0 reversal Brendan Rodgers suffered in his first competitive game in charge of the Scottish champions.
Celtic now progress to a logistically challenging Champions League third qualifying round tie against Astana, making the 6000-mile round trip to Kazakhstan for the first leg next week.

In front of an impressive crowd in excess of 50,000, who saw last season’s Scottish Premiership title flag unfurled before kick-off, Celtic overpowered and outclassed their semi-professional opponents in the manner expected of them.

On an evening when failure to deliver simply could not be countenanced by Rodgers and his players, their intent was clear from the opening seconds as they set out with a high tempo and sense of urgency which had been so lamentably lacking under the Rock of Gibraltar last week.
There were five changes to the starting line-up which besmirched the proud European reputation in that first leg as Rodgers deployed an aggressive 3-5-2 formation which immediately succeeded in placing Lincoln firmly on the back foot.
Lustig joined Erik Sviatchenko and Kieran Tierney in a three-man defence, with captain Scott Brown the deepest lying of an attack-minded midfield quintet.
Roberts, one of those who played no part in the first leg, quickly caught the eye here. The on-loan Manchester City winger cut in from the right to register the first of no less than 14 attempts at goal Celtic produced in the first half.

His effort was blocked by Bernardo Lopes in just the first example of gutsy defending from Lincoln which somehow managed to repel the home side until Lustig’s 23rd minute opener.
Before that breakthrough, the visitors were quite simple under siege. Goalkeeper Raul Navas saved bravely from Moussa Dembele, then Lincoln were spared from a penalty decision initially awarded against them for a foul by Roy Chipolina on Stuart Armstrong.
Referee Bartosz Frankowski pointed to the spot but then amended his judgement on the advice of one of his assistants, instead awarding a free-kick on the edge of the area which Griffiths blazed over.
Navas made further fine stops to deny Armstrong and Callum McGregor, with the latter also seeing another effort deflected against the crossbar.

Just as dreaded thoughts of ‘one of those nights’ might have been creeping into the minds of the Celtic supporters, Lincoln succumbed. Armstrong’s free-kick from the right caused a scramble in the penalty area, the ball breaking from Brown into the path of Lustig who coolly hooked a left foot shot beyond Navas from around 12 yards.
There was barely a flicker of emotion from Rodgers as the ball hit the net, but Celtic’s first competitive goal of his tenure must have come as something of a relief in the circumstances.
He was soon able to relax and enjoy the evening a whole lot more as Celtic, having cancelled out their first leg deficit, went ahead in the tie just two minutes later.
Roberts, who was tormenting Lincoln left-back Joseph Chipolina with his pace and trickery, was the creator as he drove infield and fed Griffiths on the edge of the penalty area. The man whose goals carried Celtic to the Premiership title last season claimed his first of this season in some style, lashing a left foot shot low beyond the helpless Navas.
Lincoln were reeling now and found themselves 3-0 behind in the 29th minute. It was another brilliantly finished goal, this time from Roberts who executed a slick one-two with Callum McGregor on the right side of the penalty area before drilling a shot past Navas.

Perhaps sensing their job was now done to all intents and purposes, the pace of Celtic’s play dropped noticeably for the first time on the evening. With Craig Gordon little more than a spectator, the prospect of Lincoln providing any notable response certainly appeared remote.
But they did manage their first attempt at goal five minutes before the interval when their first leg scorer Lee Casciaro sent a rising shot wide of Gordon’s left hand post.
Celtic found it difficult to rediscover their earlier momentum and the second half saw Lincoln enjoy more possession and find their way towards the home goal with increased regularity. A moment of slackness from Sviatchenko presented Lee Casciaro with another opportunity. He managed to poke his shot beyond Gordon this time but the ball drifted narrowly wide of the goalkeeper’s right hand post.
While there was no sense that this could yet become awkward for Celtic again, they were toiling to add to their first half tally with summer signing Moussa Dembele missing a couple of inviting opportunities to open his account.
The 19-year-old Frenchman received generous applause from the home fans when he was replaced by Nadir Ciftci with 15 minutes remaining but they will hope he can improve upon a less than stellar initial impression in the coming weeks.
Griffiths should have grabbed his second goal of the night when he was sent clear in the 83rd minute but he drove his close range shot straight at Navas who saved.
Celtic will take some satisfaction from the improvements they showed in match sharpness and accuracy of passing they delivered, albeit against opponents from the very lowest level of European football.
Far more difficult assignments, starting in Astana next week, lie ahead and Celtic will need to raise their game a whole lot more if Rodgers is to succeed at the first attempt in taking them back to the group stage of the Champions League.

UEFA

The final whistle is blown.

Livramento (Lincoln) misses the target.

90
+4
Livramento (Lincoln) misses the target.

Gordon (Celtic) makes a save.

90
+4
Gordon (Celtic) makes a save.

Livramento (Lincoln) has an effort on goal.

90
+4
Livramento (Lincoln) has an effort on goal.

Navas (Lincoln) makes a save.

90
+2
Navas (Lincoln) makes a save.

Griffiths (Celtic) has an attempt on goal.

90
+2
Griffiths (Celtic) has an attempt on goal.

Bardon (Lincoln) concedes a free-kick for a foul on Roberts (Celtic).

90
+1
Bardon (Lincoln) concedes a free-kick for a foul on Roberts (Celtic).

Nadir Çiftçi (Celtic) is adjudged to be in an offside position.

90
+1
Nadir Çiftçi (Celtic) is adjudged to be in an offside position.

Cabrera (in) – L. Casciaro (out) (Lincoln).

90 Cabrera (in) – L. Casciaro (out) (Lincoln).
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Bardon (in) – Calderon (out) (Lincoln).

89 Bardon (in) – Calderon (out) (Lincoln).
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Livramento (in) – Walker (out) (Lincoln).

89 Livramento (in) – Walker (out) (Lincoln).
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Nadir Çiftçi (Celtic) misses the target.

87 Nadir Çiftçi (Celtic) misses the target.

Griffiths (Celtic) is adjudged to be in an offside position.

86 Griffiths (Celtic) is adjudged to be in an offside position.

Nadir Çiftçi (Celtic) misses the target.

84 Nadir Çiftçi (Celtic) misses the target.

Navas (Lincoln) makes a save.

83 Navas (Lincoln) makes a save.

Griffiths (Celtic) has an attempt on goal.

83 Griffiths (Celtic) has an attempt on goal.

Navas (Lincoln) makes a save.

80 Navas (Lincoln) makes a save.

McGregor (Celtic) has an attempt on goal.

80 McGregor (Celtic) has an attempt on goal.

Sviatchenko (Celtic) misses the target.

78 Sviatchenko (Celtic) misses the target.

McGregor (Celtic) delivers the corner.

78 McGregor (Celtic) delivers the corner.

Nadir Çiftçi (in) – Dembele (out) (Celtic).

76 Nadir Çiftçi (in) – Dembele (out) (Celtic).
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Griffiths (Celtic) misses the target.

72 Griffiths (Celtic) misses the target.

Armstrong (Celtic) has a shot blocked.

72 Armstrong (Celtic) has a shot blocked.

Navas (Lincoln) makes a save.

69 Navas (Lincoln) makes a save.

Dembele (Celtic) has an effort on goal.

69 Dembele (Celtic) has an effort on goal.

Dembele (Celtic) misses the target.

68 Dembele (Celtic) misses the target.

Griffiths (Celtic) is adjudged to be in an offside position.

68 Griffiths (Celtic) is adjudged to be in an offside position.

Izaguirre (Celtic) is penalised for a foul on Garcia (Lincoln).

67 Izaguirre (Celtic) is penalised for a foul on Garcia (Lincoln).

Griffiths (Celtic) misses the target.

66 Griffiths (Celtic) misses the target.

Armstrong (Celtic) takes the corner.

65 Armstrong (Celtic) takes the corner.

Izaguirre (in) – Forrest (out) (Celtic).

63 Izaguirre (in) – Forrest (out) (Celtic).
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Walker (Lincoln) misses the target.

63 Walker (Lincoln) misses the target.

J. Chipolina (Lincoln) has a shot blocked.

62 J. Chipolina (Lincoln) has a shot blocked.

Calderon (Lincoln) delivers the corner.

62 Calderon (Lincoln) delivers the corner.

Calderon (Lincoln) takes the corner.

61 Calderon (Lincoln) takes the corner.

Walker (Lincoln) has a shot blocked.

61 Walker (Lincoln) has a shot blocked.

Ajer (in) – Tierney (out) (Celtic).

60 Ajer (in) – Tierney (out) (Celtic).
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Brown (Celtic) is penalised for a foul on L. Casciaro (Lincoln).

59 Brown (Celtic) is penalised for a foul on L. Casciaro (Lincoln).

McGregor (Celtic) delivers the corner.

58 McGregor (Celtic) delivers the corner.

Roberts (Celtic) has a shot blocked.

58 Roberts (Celtic) has a shot blocked.

Brown (Celtic) has a shot blocked.

57 Brown (Celtic) has a shot blocked.

Navas (Lincoln) makes a save.

54 Navas (Lincoln) makes a save.

Dembele (Celtic) has an effort on goal.

54 Dembele (Celtic) has an effort on goal.

Bernardo Lopes (Lincoln) misses the target.

53 Bernardo Lopes (Lincoln) misses the target.

Calderon (Lincoln) has a shot blocked.

53 Calderon (Lincoln) has a shot blocked.

Sviatchenko (Celtic) concedes a free-kick for a foul on Walker (Lincoln).

53 Sviatchenko (Celtic) concedes a free-kick for a foul on Walker (Lincoln).

Tierney (Celtic) misses the target.

52 Tierney (Celtic) misses the target.

McGregor (Celtic) has a shot blocked.

52 McGregor (Celtic) has a shot blocked.

L. Casciaro (Lincoln) misses the target.

49 L. Casciaro (Lincoln) misses the target.

J. Chipolina (Lincoln) misses the target.

48 J. Chipolina (Lincoln) misses the target.

Armstrong (Celtic) takes the corner.

47 Armstrong (Celtic) takes the corner.

The second half begins.

The second half begins.
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The referee blows for half-time.

The referee blows for half-time.
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Griffiths (Celtic) is penalised for a foul on Navas (Lincoln).

45
+1
Griffiths (Celtic) is penalised for a foul on Navas (Lincoln).

Brown (Celtic) misses the target.

45 Brown (Celtic) misses the target.

L. Casciaro (Lincoln) commits a foul.

42 L. Casciaro (Lincoln) commits a foul.

Sviatchenko (Celtic) misses the target.

41 Sviatchenko (Celtic) misses the target.

Armstrong (Celtic) takes the corner.

41 Armstrong (Celtic) takes the corner.

L. Casciaro (Lincoln) misses the target.

40 L. Casciaro (Lincoln) misses the target.

Navas (Lincoln) makes a save.

36 Navas (Lincoln) makes a save.

Armstrong (Celtic) has an attempt on goal.

36 Armstrong (Celtic) has an attempt on goal.

Navas (Lincoln) makes a save.

36 Navas (Lincoln) makes a save.

Dembele (Celtic) has an attempt on goal.

36 Dembele (Celtic) has an attempt on goal.

Brown (Celtic) concedes a free-kick for a foul on Calderon (Lincoln).

34 Brown (Celtic) concedes a free-kick for a foul on Calderon (Lincoln).

Bernardo Lopes (Lincoln) is penalised for a foul on Griffiths (Celtic).

32 Bernardo Lopes (Lincoln) is penalised for a foul on Griffiths (Celtic).

Assist by McGregor (Celtic)

29 Assist by McGregor (Celtic)

Roberts (Celtic) scores!

29 Roberts (Celtic) scores!
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Walker (Lincoln) delivers the corner.

27 Walker (Lincoln) delivers the corner.

Assist by Roberts (Celtic)

26 Assist by Roberts (Celtic)

Griffiths (Celtic) scores!

25 Griffiths (Celtic) scores!
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Assist by Brown (Celtic)

24 Assist by Brown (Celtic)

Lustig (Celtic) scores!

23 Lustig (Celtic) scores!
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Armstrong (Celtic) takes the free-kick.

23 Armstrong (Celtic) takes the free-kick.

J. Chipolina (Lincoln) is cautioned by the referee.

22 J. Chipolina (Lincoln) is cautioned by the referee.
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J. Chipolina (Lincoln) is penalised for a foul on Roberts (Celtic).

22 J. Chipolina (Lincoln) is penalised for a foul on Roberts (Celtic).

Armstrong (Celtic) misses the target.

21 Armstrong (Celtic) misses the target.

McGregor (Celtic) misses the target.

20 McGregor (Celtic) misses the target.

McGregor (Celtic) takes the corner.

19 McGregor (Celtic) takes the corner.

Roberts (Celtic) takes the corner.

19 Roberts (Celtic) takes the corner.

Navas (Lincoln) makes a save.

18 Navas (Lincoln) makes a save.

McGregor (Celtic) has an effort on goal.

18 McGregor (Celtic) has an effort on goal.

Roberts (Celtic) delivers the corner.

17 Roberts (Celtic) delivers the corner.

Armstrong (Celtic) delivers the corner.

17 Armstrong (Celtic) delivers the corner.

Roberts (Celtic) is adjudged to be in an offside position.

14 Roberts (Celtic) is adjudged to be in an offside position.

Roberts (Celtic) has a shot blocked.

13 Roberts (Celtic) has a shot blocked.

McGregor (Celtic) has a shot blocked.

12 McGregor (Celtic) has a shot blocked.

Navas (Lincoln) makes a save.

12 Navas (Lincoln) makes a save.

Forrest (Celtic) has an attempt on goal.

12 Forrest (Celtic) has an attempt on goal.

Griffiths (Celtic) misses the target.

11 Griffiths (Celtic) misses the target.

Griffiths (Celtic) takes the free-kick.

11 Griffiths (Celtic) takes the free-kick.

R. Casciaro (Lincoln) is cautioned by the referee.

10 R. Casciaro (Lincoln) is cautioned by the referee.
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K. Casciaro (Lincoln) is penalised for a foul on Armstrong (Celtic).

10 K. Casciaro (Lincoln) is penalised for a foul on Armstrong (Celtic).

Roberts (Celtic) takes the corner.

8 Roberts (Celtic) takes the corner.

Roberts (Celtic) has a shot blocked.

7 Roberts (Celtic) has a shot blocked.

Navas (Lincoln) makes a save.

6 Navas (Lincoln) makes a save.

Sviatchenko (Celtic) has an effort on goal.

6 Sviatchenko (Celtic) has an effort on goal.

Armstrong (Celtic) takes the corner.

6 Armstrong (Celtic) takes the corner.

Navas (Lincoln) makes a save.

5 Navas (Lincoln) makes a save.

Dembele (Celtic) has an effort on goal.

5 Dembele (Celtic) has an effort on goal.

Griffiths (Celtic) is penalised for a foul on Navas (Lincoln).

4 Griffiths (Celtic) is penalised for a foul on Navas (Lincoln).

Sviatchenko (Celtic) takes the corner.

3 Sviatchenko (Celtic) takes the corner.

Roberts (Celtic) has a shot blocked.

2 Roberts (Celtic) has a shot blocked.

Walker (Lincoln) is penalised for a foul on Forrest (Celtic).

2 Walker (Lincoln) is penalised for a foul on Forrest (Celtic).

The match is under way.

The match is under way.