Celtic have clinched qualification to the group stages of the Champions League despite falling to a 2-0 second-leg defeat away at the hands of Hapoel Be'er Sheva in Israel this evening.
Brendan Rodgers and his charges fell prey to goals either side of half time from Ben Sahar and Ovidiu Hoban at the Turner Stadium, but were able to seal progression thanks to a 5-4 win on aggregate, which owed much to last week's first-leg victory in Glasgow.
Hapoel looked like a side transformed after a poor display in the first leg and they soon found themselves with a chance to take the lead when Saidy Janko was deemed to have brought Ofir Davidzada down inside the area, only for Craig Gordon to keep out the penalty from Maharan Radi.
The hosts did not rest on their laurels after the miss, however, as they soon took the advantage not too long after, when substitute Sahar had the beating of Scott Brown in order to head Radi's corner beyond a stranded Gordon to make it 1-0.
Celtic's recent away troubles looked like plaguing them again as they turned in a lacklustre first-half showing and they were lucky not to go into the break 2-0 down, this time as Anthony Nwakaeme saw his long-range effort deflected wide by a retreating Brown.
The away side's fortunes took another turn for the worse after the interval as Gordon collided with a clumsy Janko after collecting a simple cross, allowing Hoban to slot a loose ball into an empty net to leave the hosts potentially just one goal away from an unlikely qualification.
Be'er Sheva sensed victory as they continued to push for a third, and Hoban was unlucky not to claim his second of the night when his extravagant bicycle kick flew across the face of goal and wide with 20 minutes remaining.
The Israeli side dominated the final proceedings of the fixture, but were unable to find a way beyond a Celtic side that will likely feel fortunate to have qualified following a disappointing showing on their travels.
Christopher Dodd
