2017-08-22: Astana 4-3 Celtic, European Cup

Trivia

• Champions League 2017-18, Play-off round, 2nd Leg
• Aggregate Celtic 8-4 Astana, Celtic qualify for the group stages for second year in a row.
• First Round was easy enough and sealed the two leg victory, 5-0 win.
• 4.30 UK time kick-off (due to time differences).
• While Celtic are set for a £30m windfall, the combined efforts of Aberdeen, Rangers and St Johnstone in the Europa League have earned the trio a combined total less than £1m. Aberdeen will receive £420k for their third qualifying round exit to Siroki Brijeg, while Rangers and Saints have both netted £195k for their first round exits to Progres Niederkorn and Trakai, respectively.
• Celtic set out on Sunday at 2pm for the long-haul trip to Kazakhstan.
  
• Celtic make life difficult, ignore the final aggregate, there was a big worry when Astana went 4-1 up. Big Second half scares, killed off by late goals.
  
• Celtic had a very second to third tier centre defence, a makeshift defence. Three main central defenders out injured. Bitton not convincing as a central defender, Ajer was unlucky with a deflection that created an own goal. Lustig was also poor.
  
• Simunovic injured for game apparently, but rumours were flying about that Simunovic was benched as was demanding to be sold to Burnley (now in the EPL top tier).
  
• Star of the Show is Ntcham. Leads to the success of these playoffs tagged as "Ntchampions League". He was like a one man midfield.
• Record aggregate at this play-off stage.
  
• Transfers:
  Rivaldo Coetzee signed from SAF, first ever SAF player for Celtic. Aged only 20. Linked with various players, a striker (from Arsenal), but Celtic deny it.
  Nadir Ciftci has signed for Plytmouth Argyle (loan)
  Brendan Rodgers insists Jozo Simunovic is not for sale despite the deal to sign Coetzee.
  Rumour: Marseille interest in Dembele, £25m price tag.

Review

"That was a game of basketball" – Scott Brown

"It is a night to celebrate" says Brendan Rodgers after Celtic progress into the Champions League despite 4-3 defeat by Astana

Brendan Rodgers asked by Kazakh reporter after match if he'll now be known as The King in the North. (a Game of Thrones reference, at time of writing showing it's 7th season on TV).

(Stevie from Belfast of KDS)
On a night like tonight you see a very different game when you watch it again. First half we were fine and all was good with the world. Started teh second half with a few attacks then a sloppy moment from Scott brown put us in trouble. The team were still getting around that when bad defending from Bitton cost us another goal. After that though we did fine, steaded up and had a few chances. Key moment was when Griffith's misses a great chance. He should have scored and if we did I think we would have went on to equalise and maybe win teh games. He misses and they go up the park and Gordon throws one in. I like Gordon but that was a howler.

We had a shaky few minutes then as to expected however teh commentators made it all seem a lot worse than what it was. Fans with mikes instead of professional analysts.

Once ntcham scored it was over.

So in retrospect we had howlers from brown, Bitton and Gordon that led to a few shaky moments – but we were nowhere near as bad as we thought at the time.

(celticjoe of KDS)
Our game is based on high-intensity pressing to win possession then confident passing to keep the ball then produce an opening.
Today we changed that, dropped our standards, were sloppy all over the park and a shambles in defence.
The result was that for 20 minutes in the second half I was a bag of nerves, screaming at the telly and wishing I could have booted Brown and Bitton up their erchies.
Let’s not kid ourselves that Astana are a good team, they’re not.
They had one decent player, Twumasi, and that was it.
A real nerve-jangler and eye-opener, even if it was comfy in the last 15.

Just . . . thank feck that’s over.

(mrs hfl4 of KDS)
First half we did everything that needed to be done. 65% of the play, scored and put the tie to bed.

And then in the second half we decided to run around like a bunch of weans and wake the tie back up again.

That was a terrible performance by Brown, particularly when he knew he had a makeshift defence behind him.

Anyone who watched that and still thinks we don't need to spend money at on our defence is certifiable. The manager wants rid of Erik or we wouldn't be listening to offers. Jozo is good, but clearly is nursing issues given he can't play on plastic pitches. Ajer is not up to this level. Lustig is definitely on the decline. As someone once said, if Bitton is the answer, it is a damn stupid question.

A club of our size, playing in the CL and trying to pursue (another) treble, needs 4 recognised centre backs we can trust. We have Jozo and Boyata. The lad Coetzee, assuming we are signing him, may be the real deal. I still say we need one other. We also need upgrading at right back and good cover at left back.

(dovercelt of KDS)
Really difficult to comprehend. The old Celtic Euro jitters usually involved losing early goals and shampooing ourselves. Thought we were really good in the first half, reacting well to their lucky goal and making and missing several chances. Should have been totally done and dusted at half time. How the feck did it change so much? Really think we must have been complacent thinking the job was done at the same time as they were having a last throw of the dice. This combination provided the first 2 second half goals, followed by Broony, Bitton, Lustig and to some extent KT totally shampooing it. Their shorts must have had more skid marks than Brands Hatch.

Have some sympathy for young Ajer. Given his youth and lack of experience, he really needed some real leadership and encouragement around him and that was totally lacking. Given what was at stake and notwithstanding the first leg lead, Jozo should have played. Broony would normally provide the leadership, but he was piss poor tonight and must have scared the young man shampooless.

Ntcham was imperious and stood out from the rest. Looks to have a real European pedigree. Rogic was great in possession and helped calm things down. Sinclair really good in the first half. Griff worked hard and took his goal well, but should have had a couple more.

The bottom line is that had we taken our first half chances, the second half would have been a cake walk. That said, there are some positives here. BR will now know that Bitton is never a centre half against half decent opposition. Judging players against SPFL dross is a dangerous thing. And despite the clear no complacency line from Brendan, I think we were complacent coming out for the second half and that can't be repeated.

Lessons learned, hopefully, but the main objective has been achieved over the 2 legs and the coffers are bulging, so congrats to Brendan and his Bhoys.

Teams

Attendance:

Articles

• Match Report (see end of page below)

Pictures

• Match Pictures

Forum

• Pre-match
• Match
• Post Match

MOTM

• Voting Thread
• Result Thread
• Winner –

Stats

FC Astana
Celtic

Possession
Home36%
Away64%

Shots
Home16
Away18

Shots on Target
Home10
Away7

Corners
Home5
Away3

Fouls
Home19
Away6

Articles

Astana 4-3 Celtic (4-8 agg): Rodgers’ side survive second half scare
Celtic's Olivier Ntcham celebrates his goal. Picture: SNS
RONNIE ESPLIN
Published: 18:25 Tuesday 22 August 2017
http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/teams/celtic/astana-4-3-celtic-4-8-agg-rodgers-side-survive-second-half-scare-1-4539299Celtic progressed into the Champions League as expected but the 4-3 second-leg defeat in Astana was their first of the season although they ran out 8-4 winners on aggregate.
Keep up to date with all our sport news on The Scotsman’s Sport page on Facebook
The Hoops’ progress was never in serious doubt following their 5-0 thrashing of the Kazakhstan champions at Parkhead last week. However, there were some nervy moments for the Scottish champions in a pulsating encounter at the Astana Arena.
Celtic’s 19-year-old defender Kristoffer Ajer, in for injured Jozo Simunovic, deflected a shot from defender Dmitri Shomko past goalkeeper Craig Gordon in the 26th minute to give the Kazakh side the merest glimmer of hope, quashed, it appeared, eight minutes later when Hoops attacker Scott Sinclair curled in the equaliser.
READ MORE: Moussa Dembele trolls Rangers fans after Astana win
Two goals in a minute at the start of the second-half from attackers Serikzhan Muzhikov and Patrick Twumasi brought the home side back to life and – when Ghanaian Twumasi grabbed his second – the visitors were on the ropes before late goals from Olivier Ntcham and Leigh Griffiths confirmed Brendan Rodgers side were into the group stages for the second-successive season.
The Northern Irishman was again forced to start with a makeshift central defence due to injuries.
Nir Bitton, essentially a midfielder, had passed a fitness test on an ankle injury and the midfielder was paired with Ajer, who had played in the 2-0 win over Kilmarnock at Rugby Park on Saturday.
The only other Celtic change from the first leg saw midfielder Callum McGregor take over from Tom Rogic, who started on the bench.
If anything, the Scottish champions looked more like getting the first goal than their hosts in the early exchanges.
Twumasi drilled a shot from 20 yards just past the post in the 10th minute but it was not the whirlwind start a side needing five goals might have been expected to make.
Sinclair and McGregor both had good efforts as Celtic moved with menace.
The home side got in front slightly against the run of play when Shomko edged towards the Celtic box and drilled in a left-footed drive which came off Ajer leaving Gordon with no chance.
Astana’s supporters were energised with optimism but that should have been extinguished seconds later when Sinclair burst through the fragile Kazakh defence only to blast his shot against home goalkeeper Nenad Eric.
However, the former Manchester City and Aston Villa player was so much more accurate in the 33rd minute when, from the edge of the box, in trademark style, he curled the ball high past the Astana stopper and into the far corner before running to take the acclaim of the couple of hundred Hoops fans who had made the long journey east.
Both sides continued to go forward. Moments later, James Forrest headed a Kieran Tierney cross past the near post before Gordon brilliantly tipped a powerful header from Marin Anicic over the bar following a Muzhikov corner.
Muzhikov’s early second-half goal came after an uncharacteristic mistake by Scott Brown in giving away possession then heading a cross on to the Astana player who poked the ball in from close range.
A minute later the unmarked Twumasi headed a Shomko cross past Gordon and suddenly some hope was restored although four more goals were required.
Rodgers replaced McGregor with Rogic and Forrest with teenage defender Anthony Ralston before Stuart Armstrong came on for Sinclair.
Griffiths missed a great chance when he controlled a Tierney cross on his chest before thrashing the ball over the bar and looked further aghast seconds later as Twumasi raced in from the right and squeezed the ball past Gordon from a tight angle.
There was bedlam among the home fans.
Eric made a fine save from Griffiths’ free-kick just before Gordon prevented Twumasi and Muzhikov adding further to Astana’s lead.
Twumasi then blazed over the bar from 10 yards with the Hoops defence reeling but – on an 80th-minute break – Ntcham steered a shot past Eric which allowed everyone of a green and white persuasion to breath more comfortably, before Griffiths, with two minutes of regulation time remaining, helped himself to a goal on the break with a fine angled-drive.

BBC

By Andy Campbell

BBC Sport Scotland

3 hours ago From the section Football 170

Leigh Griffiths scores
Leigh Griffiths scored the final goal of an enthralling match in Kazakhstan

Celtic completed an 8-4 aggregate win to reach the Champions League group stage despite a scare in Astana.

Leading 5-0 from the first leg, Brendan Rodgers' side fell behind on the night when Dimitri Shomko's shot was diverted into the net by Kristoffer Ajer.

And though Scott Sinclair produced a stylish equaliser, Serikzhan Muzhikov and Patrick Twumasi (2) put the hosts 4-1 up with 20 minutes still to play.

But Olivier Ntcham and Leigh Griffiths made the tie safe for the visitors.

It is Celtic's first defeat in all competitions since losing to Barcelona in Glasgow on 23 November, but they can now look forward to their 10th appearance in the group stage.

The Scottish champions will be in the fourth pot of seeds for Thursday's draw in Monaco unless Liverpool fail to progress against Hoffenheim on Wednesday.

Rodgers seeks extended European run

Celtic celebrate
Sinclair (right) added to his brace in Glasgow and Ntcham (left) also scored for the visitors

Rodgers has now led Celtic to the group stage in each of his two seasons as manager, his side having taken on Barcelona, Manchester City and Borussia Monchengladbach last year.

With Astana faced with such a sizeable first-leg deficit, Celtic may have expected an early onslaught from their hosts in Kazakhstan, but the visitors looked the more incisive early on.

After earlier chances for Sinclair and team-mate Callum McGregor, there seemed to be no imminent danger to Celtic's lead until Shomko's speculative shot was deflected by Ajer's outstretched foot to wrong-foot keeper Craig Gordon.

Astana had restored some belief but their enthusiasm was blunted when Sinclair collected on Celtic's left, drove at the defence and curled a sumptuous shot past Nenad Eric. It was the Englishman's third goal of the tie.

The home side needed six more goals at that stage and Marin Anicic's header was superbly clawed over by Gordon as half-time approached.

Astana capitalised on a poor Scott Brown pass to get ahead early in the second period, Srdan Grahovac's chipped ball deflecting into Muzhikov's path for a straightforward finish.
Serikzhan Muzhikov scores
Muzhikov's strike set up a nervous second half for Celtic

No sooner had Celtic taken the kick-off, they found themselves doing so again. Twumasi was left unmarked to nod in Shomko's cross.

Junior Kabananga should have converted from the edge of the six-yard box at the end of another flowing Astana move.

Rodgers introduced defender Anthony Ralston in place of McGregor and placed the substitute in a back three with Nir Bitton and Ajer in an attempt to weather the storm.

Griffiths had an excellent chance but got under his shot after chesting the ball down in the box.

Astana scored almost immediately, Twumasi gliding away from the Celtic defence on the right of the box and beating Gordon at his near post.

After Griffiths' free-kick was saved, Twumasi could have completed his hat-trick when the ball fell to him inside the area, but he got too much elevation on the shot.

Ntcham had been an assured operator in the Celtic midfield and he found the net with the aid of a deflection to ease Celtic's nerves.

Griffiths put earlier frustrations behind him with a fierce right-foot shot as Astana were again caught on the break.

Stanimir Stoilov's side restored some pride and can console themselves with the knowledge they will be in the Europa League group stage, the draw for which takes place on Friday.