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Brendan Rodgers hails 'sensational' Celtic after five-goal thrashing of Slovan Bratislava By Stephen Mcgowan Published: 00:07, 19 September 2024 | Updated: 00:07, 19 September 2024 e-mail View comments Brendan Rodgers hailed a ‘sensational’ display as Celtic opened their Champions League campaign by thrashing Slovan Bratislava. Winning their first game at this stage in the tournament for the first time in 13 attempts, the Scottish champions also scored five goals in the competition for the first time. New £11million record signing Arne Engels was the star man with an assist and a goal as Rodgers’ side vindicated their pre-match status as bookmakers’ favourites with a performance of pace, power and clinical finishing.
‘It was a great night for everyone,’ said the manager. ‘You just sensed it before the game, the feeling in the crowd. I’m so proud of the team.
‘The intensity which we played at, with and without the ball, was so good. Just everything, the mentality, hunger, greedy for more goals, greedy for the ball, everyone working right to the very end. And we could have had more than five.
So it was a really good performance. ‘We played well in the first half, we got the early goal we wanted, had other opportunities to be more clinical. I just felt that we were having one touch too many.
Our ability as a team to play with a touch-pass tempo and with less touches just speeds up our game. Rodgers applauds a Celtic performance that was full of pace, power and clinical finishing. Arne Engels scored a penalty and showed why Celtic signed him for a record transfer fee.
Striker Kyogo Furuhashi packed a punch when he put Celtic two ahead from close range. ‘So we needed to keep our position and that allows you to get through the pitch quicker and then obviously get into the areas that we wanted to. ‘From showing them some of that at half-time, and then seeing the second half right from the off, the players were absolutely sensational.
’ Defender Liam Scales headed in an Engels corner to send the crowd into raptures on 17 minutes. After a first half of missed chances, Celtic cut loose in the second by rattling in four goals. Kyogo Furuhashi diverted home Nicolas Kuhn’s driven cross just after the break, before Alistair Johnston won a penalty converted by Engels for his second goal in two games - his first was also from a spot-kick against Hearts last weekend.
Celtic quelled a brief fightback from the visitors - after a brilliant finish from Kevin Wimmer which made it 3-1 - when Daizen Maeda re-established Celtic’s three-goal cushion in the 70th minute. James Forrest then slipped through fellow sub Adam Idah to round off an emphatic victory with four minutes remaining. Engels, 21, oozed class, Rodgers saying: ‘It was a great identification by our recruitment team because we knew after last year what we wanted.
Someone who has got all the ideas in terms of with the ball and technical and tactical ability. But at this level you also need to have a physicality and running power. ‘You see his strike, just the power with which he hits the ball, it’s just the level that he can get to.
So, I’m really pleased for him.’ Celtic face Borussia Dortmund and Europa League winners Atalanta away from home in their next two games. ‘We know our next games are really tough but they’re exciting games for us,’ said Rodgers.
‘Tonight we had to make a really good start in the competition. We made a fantastic start.’ Celtic Brendan Rodgers Champions League Share or comment on this article: Brendan Rodgers hails 'sensational' Celtic after five-goal thrashing of Slovan Bratislava e-mail Add comment.
