COLIN WATT:
The Bhoys climbed to the top of Group E with a very convincing victory over old foes CFR Cluj on a windy, wet night under the lights at Paradise.
Celtic started the brightest and Boli Bolingoli seemed to find a lot of space down the left-hand side, delivering great crosses and forming a fantastic partnership with Mo Elyounoussi, which led to the first goal.
Elyounoussi won the ball back and found Callum McGregor, who then slipped a ball down the line to Boli. It looked to be a lost cause before Boli lofted an inch-perfect ball on to the head of Odsonne Edouard to send the Celtic Park crowd into raptures.
Taking the lead at half-time, Celtic once again looked to stamp their dominance, as Cluj continued to close them down at any opportunity all over the park. Elyounoussi worked extremely hard in the second-half, showing glimpses of why Southampton paid £15 million for him. He took the second goal well with the help of the deflection which effectively killed the game.
Picking man of the match was extremely difficult with almost everyone getting pass marks and more tonight. Between the fans and the players, we have the ability to turn Parkhead into a fortress and that continues next against Lazio.
Listen to the latest episode of the award-winning A Celtic State of MindKEVIN GRAHAM:
You can’t ask for much more than two goals and a clean sheet in a European group stage game. Celtic Park, disco lights, biblical rain and players you are glad are wearing the Hoops by the end of the night.
The first half was scrappy. One of those games where it’s centimetres, not metres, away from being a great performance but ends up frustrating. Credit to Cluj, they know what they want to do and will drag you down to second balls and play on their terms. We didn’t allow that to happen, they had a spell just after the second goal but it came to nothing.
Bolingoli was fantastic in the first-half and Elyounoussi showed pace and energy in the second. He and Christie were the fuse for everything good we did in the second-half. Our front four were a joy to watch but credit must go to all. It was a great team performance and one that seven weeks ago looked a long way off.
MARTIN DONALDSON:
Celtic produced a mature performance against the Romanian champions to take top spot in their Europa League group after two matches. A goal in either half was reward for a dominant display at a rain-soaked Celtic Park.
Boli Bolingoli had a great night on the left-hand side, setting up French Eddie with a neatly clipped cross to the near post where the talismanic Frenchman headered Celtic into the lead.
With Edouard proving a handful all night, with two or three Cluj players in close persuit, there was plenty of room for the mobile attacking midfield to exploit, which Mohamed Elyounoussi used to add a second.
Scott Brown chased every ball all night and never let up his usual relentless harrying. A positive result with good performances and movement throughout and, with Lazio next up, this will be a good confidence boost for the team.
🍀 A CELTIC STATE OF MIND
⭐️ Man of the Match
🇷🇴 Celtic 2 Cluj 0
1️⃣ Edouard
2️⃣ Bolingoli
3️⃣ Brown
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