MX23RW : Sunday, December 15 11:33:45| >> :120:54050:54050:
[monks data]
Attendance: 19,898
Anderlecht
Champions League | Group Stage
Sep 27, 2017 at 7.45pm UK
 
Celtic logo

0-3

FT(HT: 0-1)
Griffiths (38'), Roberts (50'), Sinclair (90')

Celtic secure crucial win over Anderlecht

Celtic secure crucial win in Brussels
© SilverHub
Celtic record their first group-stage Champions League win since 2013 as Leigh Griffiths, Patrick Roberts and Scott Sinclair score in a 3-0 victory over Anderlecht.

Celtic recorded their first group stage win in 16 European matches with a 3-0 triumph away at Anderlecht this evening.

Goals either side of half time from Leigh Griffiths and Patrick Roberts teed up the Bhoys for what could be a crucial win in Champions League Group B.

Scott Sinclair added a third in stoppage time to round off a famous victory, and give Celtic a key advantage in their head-to-head record with the Belgians.

Despite Celtic's poor record on the continent - their previous away win was over Spartak Moscow in 2012 - Anderlecht sat off and let the visitors have the ball.

The Scottish champions wasted much of their first-half possession, with the recalled Olivier Ntcham, preferred to Stuart Armstrong in midfield, the main culprit as Celtic continued to give the ball away with sloppy passing.

However, Ntcham made amends in style with one of two excellent passes for Celtic's opener. He released Kieran Tierney with a through-ball down the left channel, and the full-back crossed for Griffiths to tap home at the far post on 38 minutes - his seventh goal of the season.

Anderlecht nearly equalised immediately when Sofiane Hanni cut inside Dedryck Boyata and unleashed a low shot which Craig Gordon gathered at the second attempt.

Rookie Anderlecht manager Nicolas Frutos, in interim charge following the sacking of Swiss coach Rene Weiler, watched on as his most experienced player gifted Celtic a second goal within five minutes of the restart.

Olivier Deschacht, making his 99th European appearance for the club that he has served for 20 years, attempted an inexplicable flick on the edge of his own box, and Roberts picked up the loose ball to shoot past Frank Boeckx with the help of a deflection.

Roberts could have wrapped up the three points just before the hour mark, but shot wide on the spin from 10 yards when a layoff to Tom Rogic on the edge of the box might have been the better option.

Having offered a slight threat on the counter in the opening stages, Anderlecht lacked the creativity to unlock Celtic when the onus was on them to attack, and only tested Gordon through Pieter Gerkens' long-range strike.

Celtic closed out the game with maturity and sealed three massive points for the future of their European campaign when Ntcham released Sinclair on the break for Celtic's top scorer to finish confidently with his left foot.

This result should flush the 5-0 thrashing by Paris Saint-Germain out of Celtic's system, and puts them level on points with Bayern Munich ahead of their trip to the Allianz Arena in three weeks' time.

ID:308280: cacheID:308280:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5297:
Written by
Joe Fish
No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers on the bench during his side's 7-0 Champions League loss to Barcelona at the Camp Nou on September 13, 2016
Read Next:
Rodgers praises "quality" performance
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
6pm
Chiefs
@
Browns
6pm
Ravens
@
Giants
6pm
Jets
@
Jags
6pm
Cowboys
@
Panthers
6pm
Washington
@
Saints
6pm
Dolphins
@
Texans
6pm
Bengals
@
Titans
9.25pm
Colts
@
Broncos
9.25pm
Patriots
@
Cardinals
9.25pm
Buccaneers
@
Chargers
9.25pm
Steelers
@
Eagles
9.25pm
Bills
@
Lions
Tables header RHS

League Phase

TeamPWDLPTS
1Liverpool660018
2Barcelona650115
3B. Leverkusen641113
4Inter Milan641113
5Brest641113
6Arsenal641113
7Aston Villa641113
8Lille641113
9Bayern640212
10Dortmund640212
11Atletico640212
12AC Milan640212
13Atalanta632111
14Juventus632111
15Benfica631210
16Feyenoord631210
17Brugge631210
18Monaco631210
19Sporting Lisbon631210
20Real Madrid63039
21Celtic62319
22Man City62228
23PSV62228
24Dinamo Zagreb62228
25PSG62137
26Stuttgart62137
27Shakhtar61144
28Sparta Prague61144
29Sturm Graz61053
30Girona61053
31Red Star61053
32Salzburg61053
33Bologna60242
34RB Leipzig60060
35Slovan Bratislava60060
36Young Boys60060


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!