2017-08-02: Rosenborg 0-1 Celtic, European Cup

Match Pictures| Matches: 2017 – 2018 | 2017-18 Pictures

Trivia

• Champions League 2017-18, Third Qualifying Round second Leg
• Aggregate: 1-0 to Celtic, First leg: 0-0
• Celtic had defeated Linfield in last round (6-0), Rosenburg defeated Dundalk (after extra-time 3-2).
• Forrest again a qualifying round hero, scoring the winning goals For Celtic: No Boyata, Dembeleout too, Gamboa injured, Izaguirre gone. Sviatchenko taken off injured.
• As Celtic flew out to Norway from Glasgow on Tuesday Leigh Griffiths was involved in a spat. A man at Glasgow Airport shouted “paedo” at the striker who responded by retorting: “Your club’s deid mate, beat it”, a reference to Rangers’ liquidation in 2012.
• Brendan Rodgers says he wants Celtic to reconsider their travel arrangements amid airport security concerns following the above.
• Well done wee Jamesy and Celtic squads. Wehave now secured another European season and through to the #UCL play offs round.
• Ajax & Legia are out of the European Cup already. Both KO'ed this round.
• If any of Sevilla, Napoli, Liverpool or Olympiakos go out in the CL play off, Celtic are 3rd seed in Group Stage implying Celtic qualify.
• Celtic have a 40% chance of drawing a European team in the next round. Glad UEFA don't do politics.
• No GB at this game, following recent suspension they can’t get away tickets (officially). However, the “two (home) game ban” which was imposed has now been lifted.
• Celtic were fined again for banners in Europe, 11 fines in 5 years, Green Brigade getting it in the neck.
• Shaun Maloney could be set for a return to Celtic – as a coach with the side’s Under-20s
• Celtic handed home tie against Kilmarnock in League Cup
• Police have arrested 12 men following a police probe after the clash between Celtic and Linfield at Celtic Park. Following a police investigation into banners and material displayed, 12 men aged between 18 and 49 have been arrested and will be reported to the Procurator Fiscal. Most deem it all excessive.
• Transfers:
  Celtic linked with move for Max Gradel of Bournemouth

Review

"We always score at Lerkendal."
Yann-Erik de Lanlay [but they didn't this time]

“What was important for me was to see the maturity and how we are developing as a team. This time last year I was going into these games with a hope we could get through. Now we go into them, and play to that level and with that composure, it was sensational really. I’m delighted with the players and how they managed the game, how they kept their nerve and courage to play."
Brendan Rodgers

(silent w of KDS)
Watched a full YT replay on last night, courtesy of Norwegian tv. Two cautious sides for the most part meant that it was a bit of a sterile game, but we were much more creative. In fact, they didn't create a clear cut chance whereas we had 5 or 6.

Rosenborg played a destructive game, without being dirty by any means, but put so much into it that they neglected the attacking play. They were playing for our mistakes which never came. During their dominant 20 minute spell, they still didn't manage to support their attacks in numbers, so their options were limited.

Celtic's defending throughout was excellent. So was the work-rate of every player. Our passing was poor, so overall the quality of our play wasn't great. But when you compensate by working hard, you get your rewards. Every player put in an honest shift.

The goal came from just about our first fluent attacking move. A great goal for a dull game. We clearly looked rusty, but there was an air of a team that's struggled to get a result under these circumstances. It will do a lot for the self-confidence going into the next round. We'll improve a lot.

(Ste of KDS)
Obviously watching it live you pick up on every little mistake but after the game finished I couldn't help but think we've just pulled off the type of performance that genuinely good teams do. I made a post on here last week saying that we'll see how good this Celtic team really are tonight and I think they've confirmed they are the real deal. Last season we couldn't judge where we were in Europe based on that group of death… but after tonight I think teams won't want to play us in the next round and they certainly won't want us as their pot 4 team in the group stages should we make it.

Could say that certain players didn't cover themselves in glory but we just went away from home and picked up a 1-0 win against a team who are half way through their season. Our midfield will get sharper – but for the most part we dominated.

The difference in having a striker who can hold the ball up was incredible. Hopefully Griff's cameo helps his fitness and doesn't set him back. Superb.

(samule of KDS)
Griffiths coming on made a huge difference, but I think that it may also have coincided with them realising that they needed to open up a bit if they were going to get a goal. I suspect Brendan was counting on that, knowing that it would mean Griffiths could create even more havoc in their defence.

Overall it was a good, professional performance. Some slack passing and poor control – we're still not running at 100% by any means – but we never really looked like losing the game.

Special mention for Nir Bitton, who was surprisingly good at centre half when he came on.

(Asgard of KDS)
That was a very tricky tie to negotiate and we've reached the final qualifier without conceding a goal. The difference in match-fitness is a significant advantage but it wasn't enough to stop Celtic
Griff made a huge impact and what a difference his presence made. Should have been 2v0. We finished strongly and proved ourselves the better team over the two legs.
There's a lot more to this Celtic side than there is to Rosenborg's and without doubt the better side progressed.
With a minimum of four more european home gates now guaranteed mabey the board can justify some capital investment at this juncture

(Henke of KDS)
Rodgers got it spot on with Bitton coming on instead of Gamboa and holding off on Griffiths until near the hour mark. Brown and Forrest were also tremendous and after we scored, the team as a whole looked close to the levels they attained last year. Hayes is struggling right now, though, and the 20 minutes after half time where Rosenberg went for us could have seen us punished for our lack of incisiveness up until then. I am hoping Aberdeen win tomorrow, as it's the only way we will even start avoiding these games.

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Rosenborg 0-1 Celtic (agg 0-1): Forrest stunner sees Celtic advance
Celtic survived a nervy test to advance to the play-off round of Champions League qualifying. Picture: NTB scanpix via AP
STEPHEN HALLIDAY
Published: 21:37 Wednesday 02 August 2017

Brendan Rodgers saw his faith in the goalscoring potential of James Forrest spectacularly vindicated as the winger’s thunderous strike took Celtic into the play-off round of the Champions League.
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Forrest scored the only goal of a nervy third qualifying round tie with just over 20 minutes remaining, its timing perfect just as Rosenborg appeared to be seizing control and threatening to hand Rodgers a significant setback.
Thanks to Forrest’s moment of magic, the Celtic manager remains on course to lead his team into the Champions League group stage for the second successive season. At the very least, the Scottish champions are now guaranteed European football until Christmas as they would drop into the group stage of the Europa League if they lose their final qualifier.
Their sights will be firmly focused on the bigger prize, however, having emerged unscathed from a tie in which they were, for the most part, without the services of both central strikers Moussa Dembele and Leigh Griffiths.
It was an evening of high stakes and big decisions for Rodgers. He opted to begin with fit again Griffiths on the bench, handing Forrest the responsibility of spearheading the pursuit of an away goal.
The other significant choice was at the back where Erik Sviatchenko was restored in central defence at the expense of Kristoffer Ajer who was not even named among the substitutes. That selection backfired when Sviatchenko succumbed to injury yet again with less than half an hour played, limping off to be replaced by Israeli international midfielder Nir Bitton.
Despite that disruption to their plans, Celtic were generally the more progressive side and certainly created the better chances in a first half which provided goalkeeper Craig Gordon with little cause for concern.
He did have to make the first save of the match, comfortably holding a snapshot from Milan Jevtovic after some sharp play from Rosenborg’s captain and most accomplished player Mike Jensen.
But Celtic looked by far the more likely side to make a breakthrough and Mikael Lustig might have done better against his former club when, left unmarked and picked out by a Kieran Tierney cross, he blazed his shot wildly over.
Celtic came much closer in the 20th minute. Jonny Hayes, making his first starting appearance for the club, found Sviatchenko with a free-kick from the left and his close range header was cleared off the line by Nicklas Bendtner.
That proved to be Sviatchenko’s last meaningful contribution. Making a challenge on Andreas Konradsen five minutes later, he sustained the knock to his right leg which left him unable to continue.
Celtic remained determined to stay on the front foot as much as possible and only a superb save by Andre Hansen prevented them taking the lead in the 27th minute. Tierney surged impressively down the left again, his low cross finding Forrest whose close range shot was diverted over the crossbar by the Rosenborg ‘keeper.
Hansen and Gordon were both called into action in the closing stages of the first half with a long range effort from Celtic captain Scott Brown and a header from Bendtner each easily dealt with.
Rosenborg began the second half with far greater intensity, moving the ball quicker and looking to press Celtic much higher up the pitch. The visitors appeared slightly taken aback and were relieved to see Yann-Erik de Lanlay, the man who missed a sitter for the Norwegian champions in Glasgow, drag a right foot shot narrowly wide after latching onto Bendtner’s lay-off.
Celtic were now finding it more difficult to find an outlet up front and with 57 minutes on the clock, Rodgers decided it was time for Griffiths to make his entrance. The increasingly peripheral Hayes was the man to make way. Griffiths wasted little time making his presence felt, whipping in a dangerous cross which Rosenborg scrambled clear before Scott Sinclair could make a connection.
The home side came close again when Jensen flashed a shot just wide of Gordon’s left hand post and there was a clear sense they were taking the initiative – until Forrest’s stunning goal completely altered the picture and put Celtic firmly in control of the situation.
Sinclair, having far from his best night in a Celtic shirt, came to life when he burst through the middle to pick out Forrest on the right of the penalty area. The winger, now back in his natural position, made a heavy first touch but regained control of the ball before smashing it high beyond Hansen via the underside of the crossbar.
Rosenborg were visibly deflated, now requiring two goals to salvage the tie. It was a task which was clearly beyond them and all of the conviction drained from their play. Celtic should have added gloss to the scoreline in the closing minutes, Forrest missing a simple chance to add to his tally, but he had already converted the one chance which was all the visitors needed.

ROSENBORG: Hansen, Hedenstad, Bjordal, Skjelvik, Meling; Jensen, Konradsen, Midtsjo; Jevtovic (Helland 73), Bendtner, De Lanlay (Vilhjalmsson 73). Subs not used: Ostbo, Rasmussen, Rashani, Gersbach, Lundemo.
CELTIC: Gordon, Lustig, Simunovic, Sviatchenko (Bitton 25), Tierney; Brown, Armstrong (Rogic 70), McGregor; Hayes (Griffiths 57), Forrest, S

BBC
James Forrest's outstanding strike from a tight angle saw off a dogged Rosenborg side to secure Celtic's place in the Champions League play-off round.

The visitors created the better opportunities in a goalless first half but had to survive a spell of Rosenborg pressure after the interval.

Celtic's patience was rewarded when Forrest lashed the ball in from the right of the area after 69 minutes.

Rosenborg pushed forward in the final stages but could not break Celtic down.

The Scottish champions will face Astana, Qarabag, Rijeka, Hapoel Beer Sheva or Slavia Prague in the play-off round, with Kazakh side Astana and Israel's Hapoel having lost to Celtic in last year's competition.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers had opted for an element of caution, leaving the fit-again Leigh Griffiths on the bench and starting winger Forrest as a makeshift central striker.

Erik Sviatchenko returned to the starting line-up, but lasted only 24 minutes before injury forced him off. Celtic endured the setback, though, and eventually prevailed, with Forrest spurning a one-on-one with the goalkeeper late on to increase the lead.

Celtic defender Erik Sviatchenko had to be replaced after injuring his knee in a collision with Anders Konradsen

The Scottish champions created few chances in the home leg, but Rodgers was confident his side would benefit from an extra week's training as they try to rediscover the devastating attacking fluency of so much of last season's play.

Kieran Tierney was certainly prominent early on as a threat down the left, surging forward from his full-back role, and one drilled cross presented an opportunity to Forrest, whose effort was tipped over by Rosenborg goalkeeper Andre Hansen.

Celtic's best other effort came from a set piece, with Jonny Hayes slinging over a cross that Sviatchenko headed on target only for his Danish compatriot Nicklas Bendtner to block the ball on its way to the goal-line.

Rosenborg tried to prompt and probe in the final third when they could make ground forward, but all that Celtic goalkeeper Craig Gordon had to cope with was a weak long-range effort by Milan Jevtovic.

The home side were more assertive after the interval, though, noticeably closing the Celtic players down more urgently. The change in approach was effective, since they enjoyed a spell of pressure.

Celtic mostly stood firm, but Bendtner was a threat and showing a deft touch with his chest, he steered a high ball cleverly into the path of Yann-Erik de Lanlay, who pulled his shot beyond the far post.

Former Celtic manager Ronny Deila took in the game in Trondheim

Needing to alter the dynamic of the game, Rodgers replaced Hayes with Griffiths, hoping that the centre forward and proven scorer would provide a cutting edge to his side.

Bendtner continued to show more willingness to be involved, and another intervention led to Mike Jensen's shot just brushing the outside of the post.

Rosenborg's menace would have been a concern for Celtic, but the visitors played with maturity and continued to rely on their self-belief; it was eventually rewarded.

Sinclair burst through the middle to the edge of the area then moved the ball out to Forrest on the right, who skipped past his marker then lashed the ball high past Hansen from a tight angle, the ball crashing in off the underside of the bar.

It was the breakthrough that Celtic craved, and enough to secure a deserved place in Friday's play-off round draw.