This was an exceptional rarity at Celtic Park. The Scottish champions were in dominant form against continental opposition, on a night that marked the end of years of frustration for Celtic at the elite level. New format, new Celtic, new threat. The limitations of Slovan Bratislava will likely be exposed in future Champions League matches, but Brendan Rodgers and Celtic were fully justified in savoring this victory after enduring numerous European setbacks. Rodgers and his team will now travel to Borussia Dortmund with the belief that this environment need not be so punishing after all.
The match quickly turned into a rout, with Celtic's pace of play paralyzing Slovan. In their 13th attempt, Celtic finally secured a victory in the Champions League proper. If there was any doubt, the star of their manager is on the rise once more. A year ago, the supporters seemed uncertain about him, but now they celebrate his every move. “If the competition stops now we play Bayern Munich in the final,” Rodgers said with a smile, reflecting Celtic's lofty position of second out of 36 teams. “It was a great night. The players were absolutely sensational. We could have had more than five.” This was no exaggeration.
The confidence Rodgers displayed before this fixture was rooted in an impressive start to the domestic season. However, Celtic had been in this situation before; invincible in Scotland but unable to keep up with even mediocre European teams. A key aspect of Rodgers' second tenure in Glasgow has been re-establishing Celtic as a credible force in Europe. Their opposition here always seemed favorable, which has not always been the case over the past decade. Celtic were the clear favorites to start the Champions League with a win. How they rose to meet that challenge.
The supporters have clearly embraced Rodgers' vision. The atmosphere at the stadium was one of expectation rather than hope. As Daizen Maeda missed an early chance, Celtic knew they had the capability to breach the visiting defense. Maeda soon missed another opportunity, heading straight into the hands of Dominik Takac. The Slovakians retaliated, but David Strelec's shot was deflected over when he should have passed to the advancing Vladimir Weiss.
Celtic have made significant investments to aid their Champions League aspirations. It felt poetic that a 2021 signing from Shamrock Rovers broke the deadlock. There was assistance from a high-profile acquisition – the delivery of Arne Engels, Celtic’s £11m record signing, was sublime – but Liam Scales still displayed tenacity and perfect timing to meet the cross. Scales’s powerful header flew in via Takac’s shoulder. The goalkeeper soon had to make a smart save to deny Kyogo Furuhashi at close range.
Slovan were not without a counterattacking threat. Weiss, a former Rangers player, allowed the Celtic defense to recover after Cameron Carter-Vickers had miscued a header. Furuhashi was equally wasteful in the 34th minute, snatching at a shot that should have tested Takac. The interval improved Celtic's potency. Nicolas Kühn looked in danger of running down a blind alley before deceiving the Slovan defense with a sharp, low cross from the right that found Furuhashi lurking at the back post. The Japanese forward could not miss, bundling the ball into the visiting net with his thigh.
A moment of rashness led to Celtic's third goal. Danylo Ihnatenko challenged Alistair Johnston inside the penalty area when there was no need to do so. Engels calmly converted the resulting spot-kick. Slovan briefly tempered the mood, but it was short-lived. Celtic should have cleared rather than offer Kevin Wimmer a chance to shoot. Wimmer did so wonderfully with the outside of his boot from an angle, leaving Kasper Schmeichel stranded. The Danish goalkeeper rightly criticized his defenders for their slackness.
Maeda was to settle any remaining nerves. Furuhashi passed to Reo Hatate, who flicked through for his rampaging teammate. Maeda's composure allowed him to finish low beyond the exposed Takac. It was now a question of how many goals Celtic wanted to score. Two substitutes combined for the fifth goal. James Forrest fed Adam Idah, who found himself clean through and made no mistake. This was not quite the perfect night for Celtic, but it was close. Onwards to Dortmund, with spring in their step.
