Celtic came through in the Champions League third qualifying round on Wednesday night with a brave performance in Norway against Rosenborg.
They won 0-1 on the night to take a 0-1 aggregate win after a disappointing goalless draw in the home leg a week prior. Here are three thoughts on the match:
Forrest scores stunner
James Forrest and his Celtic teammates were made to wait for the breakthrough on Wednesday night, but when it came it came in a big way.
On 69 minutes, Forrest received the ball from a tight angle on the right side and absolutely smashed it into the back of the net past a helpless goalkeeper.
It what a goal that Celtic didn’t necessarily require to have a chance to progress, but that is what they ended up doing anyway.
Sinclair trumps again
Scott Sinclair has been a true diamond for the Hoops since his arrival last summer. The Englishman may not have made the grade in England, but it’s hard to see why. And once again he showed his importance to the cause on Wednesday night with his assist to Forrest.
He first picked out a position between the lines, and then turned and ran quickly into space, drawing a number of defenders to him.
He would deck them and then pass the ball outside through a narrow space to allow Forrest to eventually hammer home. Without the inventive nature of Sinclair, we’d not be talking about a Celtic win yet again.
Celtic continue prolific defensive record thus far
Celtic have now played in four Champions League qualifiers. And while they haven’t played the highest of quality sides yet, they have still managed to keep four clean sheets.
The defense was very sturdy in Norway when they needed to be, taking pressure off of the attack in a big way. When you have an offensive capability like the Hoops, it’s aided all the more by a solid defense. That spoke volumes on Wednesday night as the makeshift front line had time to find a way through.
