MX23RW : Friday, January 10 19:47:11| >> :600:106662:106662:
[monks data]
Celtic logo
Champions League | Playoffs
Aug 17, 2016 at 7.45pm UK
 

5-2

Rogic (9'), Griffiths (39', 45'), Dembele (73'), Brown (85')
FT(HT: 3-0)
Maranhao (55'), Melikson (57')

Celtic earn advantage over Hapoel Be'er Sheva in Champions League playoff

Celtic gain the upper-hand over Hapoel Be'er Sheva in the first leg of their Champions League playoff tie following a hard-fought 5-2 victory at Celtic Park.

A first-half brace from Leigh Griffiths helped to ensure that Celtic gained a three-goal advantage over Hapoel Be'er Sheva in the first leg of their Champions League playoff clash, as the Hoops claimed a 5-2 victory against the Israeli side in Glasgow this evening.

Much had been made of Celtic's recent tendency to buckle under the pressure during European qualifiers, but the Hoops showed no signs of that as they gained an early lead through Tom Rogic, who capitalised on Scott Sinclair's hard work to slot home in the ninth minute.

Hapoel sought to hit back through the attacking qualities of Dan Bitton down the right, but he was unable to make the most of his opportunity having got the better of Kieran Tierney not long after the opener.

The Bhoys appeared rampant when going forward in the first period and they were rewarded with another goal before the break, this time as Griffiths rose highest in the box to head home from the cross of Mikael Lustig.

Celtic's dominance was capped off just short of the half-time whistle when Griffiths grabbed his second of the game, the frontman's brace coming via a standout free kick that evaded both wall and keeper to leave the hosts in the driving seat.

Things soon changed dramatically for Rodgers and his men, though, when Lucio Maranhao beat the offside trap to drill past Craig Gordon and earn a vital away goal for the visitors.

That goal sparked a double salvo in two minutes as Maor Melikson then reacted quickest to a loose ball in order to fire a remarkable finish under the body of a bewildered Gordon, leaving the tie all to play for.

It looked like Celtic's confidence might be dented by the goals, but Brendan Rodgers continued to push for another and he was thankful when substitute Moussa Dembele got the slightest of flicks on a Nir Bitton effort to make it 4-2 with just over 15 minutes to play.

Hapoel might just have dealt another blow to Celtic's position before the end of the game, although the hosts had Gordon to thank when he pulled off a point-blank save to keep out Maharan Radi's header.

The surprises were not over just yet, however, as Celtic skipper Scott Brown produced a world-class volley late on to give his side a vital three-goal lead going into next week's return leg.

ID:279264: cacheID:279264:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:4538:
Written by
Christopher Dodd
No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Brendan Rodgers manager of Liverpool looks on during the Barclays Premier League match between Everton and Liverpool at Goodison Park on October 4, 2015 in Liverpool, England.
Read Next:
Rodgers expects Celtic CL qualification
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS

League Phase

TeamPWDLPTS
1AC Milan00000
2Arsenal00000
3Aston Villa00000
4Atalanta00000
5Atletico00000
6Barcelona00000
7B. Leverkusen00000
8Bayern00000
9Benfica00000
10Bologna00000
11Dortmund00000
12Brest00000
13Celtic00000
14Brugge00000
15Dinamo Zagreb00000
16Feyenoord00000
17Girona00000
18Inter Milan00000
19Juventus00000
20Lille00000
21Liverpool00000
22Man City00000
23Monaco00000
24PSV00000
25PSG00000
26RB Leipzig00000
27Real Madrid00000
28Salzburg00000
29Red Star00000
30Shakhtar00000
31Slovan Bratislava00000
32Sparta Prague00000
33Sporting Lisbon00000
34Sturm Graz00000
35Stuttgart00000
36Young Boys00000


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!